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MOTD: Bayern Munich 3-2 Barcelona (3-5 agg)
By Alex Morgan on May 12, 2015
When Bayern Munich took an early lead, it was thought “game on.” A 3-0 loss in the first leg was heavy, but not completely insurmountable, particularly in light of Bayern’s comeback verses Porto in the quarterfinals. When Barcelona came back from behind to lead at the half, the tie was effectively put to bed: Bayern needed five goals in 45 minutes. Nonetheless, the Bavarians fought back with a respectable, if ultimately futile second half performance. They couldn’t ultimately trouble Barcelona’s significant lead, but salvaged something from the tie in leaving supporters with a bit more to show for than in last season’s second leg performance against Real Madrid.
In the end, much of their suffering was self inflicted. Twice, Bayern’s defense was inexcusably caught out and picked apart by Barcelona — resulting in the very two goals that stood in their way of extra time and a potential birth in the final. “We could have avoided this with a better defensive performance,” Pep Guardiola said, granted his three-man backline most certainly played a role in the proceedings.
In the end, much of their suffering was self inflicted. Twice, Bayern’s defense was inexcusably caught out and picked apart by Barcelona — resulting in the very two goals that stood in their way of extra time and a potential birth in the final. “We could have avoided this with a better defensive performance,” Pep Guardiola said, granted his three-man backline most certainly played a role in the proceedings.
In the end Bayern couldn’t complete the comeback, and Pep Guardiola put a positive spin on the second leg result. “We had a lot of difficulties but never face up,” he said perUEFA.com. “But I am happy and pleased with how we played.”
Guardiola may have had a point, though his argument was clearly self-serving in light of the result. It looked at one point as if Barca would cruise to another crushing win as in the first leg. Although Medhi Benatia rose up unmarked from a corner to give Bayern a headed lead early on, the center-back was caught ball watching just ten minutes later as Lionel Messi’s exquisite through-ball found the diagonal run of Luis Suarez, who squared it to Neymar, effectively drawing Manuel Neuer out of the play for the Brazilian to tap into an empty net. Twenty-nine minutes in, Benatia was drawn out to challenge Messi again, only for the Argentine genius to flick a header onto the run of Suarez. Again, Suarez squared the ball for Neymar to finish. Barca’s attacking trio of Messi, Neymar, and Suarez was firing on all cylinders, with Bayern’s back three again looking all to shaky, as was Guardiola’s job security.
After all hope was lost, Bayern continued attacking. Marc-Andre ter Stegen put on a fantastic performance in Barcelona’s goal, first scooping Thomas Muller’s looping header wide before tipping Robert Lewandowski’s near post, headed bullet over the crossbar. Forty minutes in, Lewandowski’s close range volley ricochet off the German goalkeeper’s arm, and ter Stegen only just recovered in time to swat the ball off the line.
Lewandowski later sent Javier Mascherano soaring in the general direction of Berlin with some fancy footwork on the edge of the box, creating space to curl a beautiful effort in off the post. Ultimately, it didn’t take long for the home side to find a third, with Bastian Schweinstieger laying the ball off for Muller to curl another twenty yard effort past Ter Stegen in the seventy-fourth minute.
In the end, Barcelona’s 3-2 loss tonight would have been warmly welcomed as an away result verses Bayern, and was in the end far more then necessary to secure a place in the final against either Real Madrid or Juventus, to be decided tomorrow.
Guardiola may have had a point, though his argument was clearly self-serving in light of the result. It looked at one point as if Barca would cruise to another crushing win as in the first leg. Although Medhi Benatia rose up unmarked from a corner to give Bayern a headed lead early on, the center-back was caught ball watching just ten minutes later as Lionel Messi’s exquisite through-ball found the diagonal run of Luis Suarez, who squared it to Neymar, effectively drawing Manuel Neuer out of the play for the Brazilian to tap into an empty net. Twenty-nine minutes in, Benatia was drawn out to challenge Messi again, only for the Argentine genius to flick a header onto the run of Suarez. Again, Suarez squared the ball for Neymar to finish. Barca’s attacking trio of Messi, Neymar, and Suarez was firing on all cylinders, with Bayern’s back three again looking all to shaky, as was Guardiola’s job security.
After all hope was lost, Bayern continued attacking. Marc-Andre ter Stegen put on a fantastic performance in Barcelona’s goal, first scooping Thomas Muller’s looping header wide before tipping Robert Lewandowski’s near post, headed bullet over the crossbar. Forty minutes in, Lewandowski’s close range volley ricochet off the German goalkeeper’s arm, and ter Stegen only just recovered in time to swat the ball off the line.
Lewandowski later sent Javier Mascherano soaring in the general direction of Berlin with some fancy footwork on the edge of the box, creating space to curl a beautiful effort in off the post. Ultimately, it didn’t take long for the home side to find a third, with Bastian Schweinstieger laying the ball off for Muller to curl another twenty yard effort past Ter Stegen in the seventy-fourth minute.
In the end, Barcelona’s 3-2 loss tonight would have been warmly welcomed as an away result verses Bayern, and was in the end far more then necessary to secure a place in the final against either Real Madrid or Juventus, to be decided tomorrow.
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