UCL: Bayern hit six, Barcelona stroll

Sport360 staff 02:36 22/04/2015
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  • Lethal: Bayern's Robert Lewandowski.

    Bayern Munich enjoyed the challenge of having to fight back from a first leg defeat as they powered into the Champions League semi-finals for the fourth year in succession with a 6-1 routing of 10-man Porto.

    Needing to over turn a two-goal deficit after last Wednesday’s shock 3-1 first-leg defeat at Porto, Bayern produced a devastating first-half display to claim five goals inside 26 minutes and kill the tie off.

    “It couldn’t have gone better,” beamed Thomas Muller. “Sometimes it’s fun to play with your backs against the wall. We all had hopes, but no one expected that.”

    Robert Lewandowski struck a brace and now has 22 goals in all competitions while Muller, Jerome Boateng and Thiago Alcantara also grabbed first-half goals.

    The game’s tempo dropped after the break allowing Porto captain Jackson Martinez to score a consolation goal.

    Porto finished with 10 men when defender Ivan Marcano received a second yellow card just before Xabi Alonso crashed home a free-kick – their coach Julen Lopategui was also sent from the touchline.

    The scoreline matches Porto’s record away defeat in Europe when they lost 6-1 at AEK Athens in the defunct European Champion Clubs’ Cup in 1978.

     

    Meanwhile, Neymar insists Barcelona are far from finished after his brace allowed the Catalan giants to cruise into the Champions League semi-finals with an exceptionally comfortable 2-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain.

    Boys from Brazil: Neymar and Dani Alves.

    Neymar has largely lived in the shadow of fellow frontmen Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in recent weeks, but he returned to the fore with a first-half double to completely extinguish any lingering hopes for the French side.

    He said: “I am very happy to help the team with my goals. We played a great game, just like we did in Paris in the first leg. But now we have to keep going.

    “We are in great form, we’re also top in La Liga and we have to continue like this.”

    In truth, the result was never in doubt with Barca looking composed from the opening minutes, and it was no surprise when they took the lead after a quarter of an hour.

    Andres Iniesta was the architect, rolling back the years by brilliantly dribbling past three opponents on the halfway line and carrying the ball to the edge of the box before sliding a perfect pass to Neymar, who rounded Salvatore Sirigu and slotted into the unguarded net.

    Messi fired over the bar and the excellent Dani Alves had a powerful long-range drive well pushed aside as Barca continued to dominate, with PSG rarely mustering attacks of any danger.

    The second goal duly arrived with 10 minutes of the opening. Neymar doubled up against PSG as Barca ease into the last four period remaining as Alves bamboozled visiting left-back Maxwell and delivered a perfect inswinging cross into the run of Neymar, who had somehow evaded the entire PSG defence to convert a simple header from 10 yards.

     

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