Champions League Report

Paris Saint-Germain 2-2 Barcelona

Last-gasp Valdes error keeps French side alive
Lionel Messi scored before succumbing to injury at half-time, and Xavi's late penalty appeared to seal the French side's fate, but Matuidi's even later strike leaves the tie open

 

 Two late, late goals saw Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain play out an enthralling 2-2 draw during the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday.

Tito Vilanova returned to the Blaugrana dugout for the first time in months after undergoing cancer treatment in New York, but his long-awaited comeback was tainted somewhat by the departure of Lionel Messi during half-time with a hamstring injury.

But the Argentine still managed to make his mark on the game before his withdrawal, slotting home from a glorious Dani Alves assist to give Barca a narrow lead at the interval, after PSG were the more threatening side during the first 45 minutes.

The French side would controversially find a way back into the tie in the 79th minute when Zlatan Ibrahimovic turned home a rebound from an offside position, but their fortune was short-lived as Xavi scored a late penalty on the stroke of injury time.

But the drama was not done, as Blaise Matuidi struck with the last kick of the game, leaving it all to play for during the second-leg at Camp Nou in eight days' time.

David Beckham was handed a start for the hosts with Lucas Moura and Ezequiel Lavezzi also making a swift return to their XI. Meanwhile, Victor Valdes, Jordi Alba and Xavi were restored to the visitors’ starting lineup after missing out over the weekend.

Whatever nerves PSG may have felt from the indomitable reputation of their opponents were quickly shaken off during an energetic start to the match, where they could have taken the lead twice inside the opening 20 minutes.

Lavezzi was first up with a deflected effort that cannoned off the far post, before Ibrahimovic forced a world-class save from Valdes, who saw his free-kick late after it was hammered through the wall.

Barca were not without their own early opportunities, as Andres Iniesta missed by inches with a curling shot, but it was PSG who looked like prime candidates to break the deadlock, as Javier Pastore’s 25-yarder called Valdes into action again.

But PSG could not build on their positive start, and as the first-half went on, their counterattacking threat diminished as Barca’s tiki-taka football became more of a feature.

And they were made to pay for their lack of ruthlessness five minutes before half time as Messi, anonymous until that point, drilled home from an absolutely breathtaking outside-of-the-boot pass from Alves.

The Argentine could have made it 2-0 minutes later, but could not keep his shot down after racing into a fantastic position inside the area.

And that would end up being Messi’s last notable contribution of the match, as a suspected hamstring complaint forced him off during the break, with Cesc Fabregas replacing him for the second period.

But in sharp contrast to the start of the match, the second-half saw PSG struggle to get into their stride as the tempo of the game dropped markedly.

Sergio Busquets’s long range shot was smothered convincingly by Salvatore Sirigu, and Alexis Sanchez’s poor first touch denied him a clear opening inside the box as Barca just about seemed to have the upper hand.

With 11 minutes remaining, Ibrahimovic would drag PSG back into the tie in contentious fashion, as he turned home a rebound from an offside position after Thiago Silva’s header took a ricochet off the post.

But in the 90th minute, their joy turned to despair as a moment of rashness from Sirigu sent Sanchez tumbling inside the area, leaving the referee with no choice, and Xavi stepped up to bury the resulting penalty.

It seemed like the end of PSG's European ambitions for another season, but with the last kick of the game, Matuidi managed to squeeze a shot past Valdes to blow the roof of the stadium and give the French side reason to believe.

 Bayern Munich 2-0 Juventus

Alaba & Muller net as German giants produce dominant display
Jupp Heynckes' men have one foot in the final four after dominating their quarter-final first-leg clash with the Italian champions from start to finish

 

 Bayern Munich took a significant step towards the semi-finals of the Champions League with a commanding 2-0 first-leg success over a strangely subdued Juventus side at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday evening.

After opening the scoring inside a minute courtesy of a deflected drive from David Alaba, the runaway Bundesliga leaders dominated what many felt would be the most closely contested of the four quarter-finals and were full value for a victory which was deservedly capped by a second-half strike from Thomas Muller.

Bayern had gone into the game on the back of a devastating 9-2 domestic defeat of Hamburg but even they could not have imagined that they would open the scoring against the tightest defence in the Champions League with such ease.

Less than 25 seconds had elapsed when an uncharacteristically sloppy pass from Andrea Pirlo allowed Bastian Schweinsteiger to put Alaba into space some 35 yards out. Even then, there appeared to be little threat to the Juventus goal, but the Austria international’s subsequent strike took a slight deflection off Vidal that deceived Gianluigi Buffon, who, having inexplicably committed himself to a dive to his right, was unable to scramble back across his line to keep out a bouncing ball that was not travelling at any great pace.

Credit to the visitors, they responded well to the concession of such an early goal, and Pirlo fired a free kick just over the Bayern bar seconds before midfield partner Vidal flashed a well-struck shot inches wide as the Bianconeri enjoyed a brief spell of dominance.

The loss of Toni Kroos to injury after 16 minutes appeared further cause for concern for Bayern but the introduction of Arjen Robben coincided with a sustained spell of pressure for the hosts, with the Dutchman very nearly doubling his side’s advantage with a snapshot volley that Buffon did well to block with his feet.

Franck Ribery then saw a low strike unluckily deflected wide by Bonucci, after the industrious Mario Mandzukic had brilliantly dispossessed a sleeping Andrea Barzagli, before Robben squandered another excellent opening on 32 minutes, dragging Muller's terrific cut-back wide of the right post with the entire goal at his mercy.

Juve served a timely reminder of their set-piece threat just before the break when Giorgio Chiellini headed a Pirlo corner just over, but it was clear that the Bianconeri, who had not managed a single shot on target in the opening 45 minutes, would need a drastically improved second-half showing if they were to save an unbeaten away record in European competition that stretched back to 2010.

As it was, Bayern continued to carry the far greater attacking threat and Mandzukic tested Buffon with a low strike after being released into space by Schweinsteiger. The crucial second goal that Bayern undeniably deserved arrived just after the hour mark.

Again, there was some fortune involved. Mandzukic was offside when Luiz Gustavo hit a shot that Buffon was unable to hold, but the hosts deserved their good luck and Mandzukic had to be applauded for the way in which he coolly collected the rebound before leaving Muller with a tap-in.

The beleaguered Bianconeri managed to muster a shot on goal in the final quarter, with Manuel Neuer easily parrying a Vidal shot away to safety, but Muller very nearly added a third Bayern goal at the end of what was already a bitterly disappointing night for the Italians. They must now attempt to overturn a two-goal deficit in the second leg without Vidal and Stephan Lichsteiner, both of whom where booked in Bavaria. 

Source: goal.com

Champions League semi-final

Bayern Munich 2-1 Real Madrid

Last-gasp Gomez sinks Spaniards and provides Bavarian giants with valuable first-leg advantage

The Bundesliga side overcame Jose Mourinho's men at the death after Los Blancos paid the price for trying to cling to a draw ahead of next week's return fixture

Bayern Munich kept up their impeccable record of having never lost at home to Real Madrid as they earned a dramatic 2-1 win in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final at the Allianz Arena.

The hosts opened the scoring through Franck Ribery in the 17th minute but Los Blancos showed great resilience and pulled back a vital away goal through Mesut Ozil early in the second half. However, Bayern assumed pole position in the tie when Mario Gomez slotted home a 90th minute winner.

The atmosphere inside the stadium was pulsating and the early moments were certainly befitting of the occasion. With the play fairly stretched, it was the visitors who settled quickest and began to control possession.

With seven minutes played, Bastian Schweinsteiger gave the ball away in his own half and Angel Di Maria took the opportunity to slip a pass through to Karim Benzema. However, the Frenchman failed to put his effort to either side of Manuel Neuer, who tipped it over the bar.

Los Blancos' keep-ball tactics were clearly grating on the crowd and they were further incensed when Ribery saw his claim for a penalty turned down in the 15th minute.

Frustration then turned to elation just two minutes later as the Bavarians took the lead. Toni Kroos' corner was not dealt with by Sergio Ramos and the ball fell to Ribery, who rifled a low shot past Iker Casillas from 12 yards.

Bayern remained solid and were getting a lot of joy in the wide areas but Jose Mourinho's men regained their composure to end the half on a brighter note. The hosts could not regain the ball and were being pinned back in their own final third.

Madrid's best chance during this spell came as Benzema cut inside of David Alaba to the right of the goal but could only muster a tame effort straight at Neuer, who held comfortably.

In their haste to find an equaliser, Madrid almost went two behind after a swift counterattack from the hosts. Gomez burst in on the left-hand side of the area but his shot was kept out by a diving Casillas who got two strong hands to it and turned the ball behind.

Los Blancos began the second half in a similar vein to the first and drew level in the 53rd minute. The Bayern defence was caught ball-watching as Benzema's mishit committed Neuer to the far post. Cristiano Ronaldo just reached the ball before it went out of play and cut it back into the danger area, leaving Ozil with a simple tap-in.

Mourinho's men were beginning to pose a great threat on the counterattack as they limited the hosts to a number of speculative crosses into the box.

However, that almost paid dividends for Bayern when Kroos whipped in a fantastic free kick from wide on the left after 71 minutes. Ramos again failed to clear the danger and was fortunate that Gomez could not keep his instinctive shot below the bar, blazing over from just outside the six-yard box.

The visitors became more conservative as they sought to hold on to the draw but Bayern continued to pile on the pressure and reaped the rewards in the 90th minute.

After missing two headers earlier in the game, Gomez remained positive and was on hand to slide the ball into the back of the net after some superb play on the wing by Philipp Lahm, who created the space for a tantalising cross.

The result means that Bayern take a slim advantage into the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on April 25, while Madrid slide to their first Champions League loss of the season.

Source: goal.com

Champions League Report

Marseille 0-2 Bayern Munich

Gomez and Robben strike to leave German giants on brink of semi-finals

Goals for the Germany and Netherlands internationals left the Bavarians in pole position to advance to face the winner of the tie between APOEL and Real Madrid

Bayern Munich took a big step towards progression in the Champions League as they earned a 2-0 win away to Marseille in Wednesday's quarter-final first-leg clash.

Franck Ribery's return to the Stade Velodrome was not exactly a comfortable one, but the visitors overcame stiff resistance as they secured a two-goal advantage ahead of the return leg in Munich.

One minute before half-time, Mario Gomez found the net under controversial circumstances after a suspected hand-ball at the other end. The goal counted nonetheless, and OM were forced to try to overturn the deficit. However, Arjen Robben scored a crucial second goal on 69 minutes, leaving the hosts with a mountain to climb.

Chances were few and far between in what was a physical opening half. Though cautious in their approach, the hosts were first to pose a threat on goal and were unfortunate not to take the lead on seven minutes. Following a corner-kick, Rod Fanni's header was tipped wide by Manuel Neuer. Loic Remy was first to the rebound, but blasted into the side-netting.

After a tough start, Bayern gathered some fluency in midfield and carved out a couple openings inside the Marseille penalty area. However, Robben slipped before seeing his window to shoot close, and Thomas Muller's low cross found no team-mate in the centre before rolling out of play.

Marseille recovered, and shortly before half-time, a botched clearance from Jerome Boateng saw the ball fall to Remy. The striker was quick to shoot from the edge of the penalty area, but Neuer pounced to make a save.

Bayern as well would benefit from a mistake shortly thereafter, but the Germans took their chance as Gomez fired in off Elinton Andrade's hands. Seconds before, Mathieu Valbuena had kicked the ball off Philipp Lahm's hand, but play continued as Robben slipped in Gomez, whose finish appeared to be covered by the goalkeeper before it deflected into the net.

After the break, Marseille had an encouraging start, with Valbuena nodding over the bar from Remy's cross. Andre Ayew headed on goal in the 56th minute, but Neuer had little trouble in making a stop. Shortly before the hour mark, Remy muscled Boateng off the ball, but Neuer was quick off his line and blocked the forward's attempt.

The balance swung in the visitors' favour around the hour mark, however. Andrade did very well to deny Gomez, but with 21 minutes left, Robben made it 2-0, handing the visitors a big advantage heading into the second leg. The Dutchman played a one-two with Muller, and curled his finish inside the left post.

The most significant action late in the game was a booking for Bayern substitute Bastian Schweinsteiger, who will miss the second leg through suspension. In addition, OM's Alou Diarra will sit out, having been booked earlier in Wednesday's match.

The result sees Bayern take a commanding lead into the second leg, which will be played on April 3. The winner of the two-legged tie will face either APOEL or Real Madrid in the semi-finals.

AC Milan 0-0 Barcelona

Robinho guilty of glaring miss while Alexis is denied penalty as first leg ends in entertaining stalemate

The Catalan giants were kept at bay by a determined defensive performance from the Italians, leaving the tie on a knife edge for the second leg at Camp Nou

AC Milan were able to hold Barcelona to a 0-0 stalemate in their Champions League quarter-final first-leg encounter at San Siro.

The visitors had their chances, among them a penalty claim on Alexis Sanchez that was denied, but a sterling defensive display by Massimiliano Allegri’s men saw the Spanish outfit frustrated and sets up an enthralling second leg at Camp Nou in six days time. 

An exciting start to the match saw Milan nearly storm into the lead after only three minutes. A scramble inside the penalty area saw the ball spill to Robinho in space, but with the goal at his mercy, he could not find the target as his volley flew over the bar.

The early shock did not faze Barca though, who slowly began to cause problems at the other end of the pitch. With 10 minutes gone, Lionel Messi’s low drive was fumbled by Christian Abbiati, who was fortunate to see Dani Alves scoop the rebound the wrong side of the post.

Abbiati was at the thick of things again within minutes, after he charged off his line to bring down Sanchez in the area. There did not appear to be much contact with the ball from the Milan keeper, but no penalty was forthcoming, leaving the visitors to remonstrate furiously with referee Jonas Errikson.

Not long after, the Catalans were able to find the back of the net, but the goal was correctly disallowed as Messi was in a clearly offside position when he turned home Alves’ cross.

Milan survived the scare, and saw another golden chance go begging with 20 minutes gone. Clarence Seedorf put Zlatan Ibrahimovic through on goal, but his finish was weak and easily smothered by Victor Valdes.

Barca were unsurprisingly able to control nearly two-thirds of possession, but some dogged defending from the hosts and the questionable state of the San Siro pitch prevented them from getting fully into their stride.

The Milan back line was caught out 10 minutes before half-time though, as Sanchez was put clean through, but Luca Antonini matched him stride for stride and got back to make a fantastic block just as the Chilean was about to pull the trigger.

Andres Iniesta sent another warning Milan’s way coming out of the interval, with a quick dart into space ending with a snap shot from the edge of the area that flew just wide.

However, Barcelona were finding it increasingly difficult to get a clear sight on goal as the second-half wore on, with Allegri’s men keeping their discipline and organisation at the back.

With 67 minutes gone, substitute Urby Emanuelson nearly made an immediate impact seconds after his arrival when he raced onto a through pass deep in the area, but his first touch was woeful and halted the move in its tracks.

Barcelona hit back soon after through a substitute of their own, with Tello finding space on the right side of the box and letting fly with an effort that rippled the side netting.

Tello caused more Milan hearts to flutter when his dangerous cutback saw Messi’s volley deflected just over the bar, and the resulting corner was headed just wide by Carles Puyol.

Minutes before the end, Abbiati was on hand to deny Messi, beating away the Argentine’s low drive, with Tello also thwarted from the rebound by another brilliant tackle from Antonini as Milan preserved the 0-0 scoreline.

Both sides will lock horns once more for the return leg at Camp Nou in six days time.

Source: goal.com

Bundesliga

FC Schalke 3 - 1 Stuttgart

Schalke's Benedikt Howedes to undergo surgery on fractured cheekbone

The Germany international will have to go under the knife and spend a spell on the sidelines after sustaining a facial injury during the club's 3-1 win over Stuttgart

Schalke have received news that defender Benedikt Howedes suffered a fractured cheekbone during their 3-1 league win over Stuttgart on Saturday and will require surgery.

The centre-back was forced to leave the pitch shortly before the half-time whistle after an unfortunate collision with Marco Hoger and was immediately taken to hospital to determine the extent of the facial injury.

Schalke have now announced on their official website that the 23-year-old has fractured his cheekbone and will go under the knife on Monday.

It is not yet known exactly for how long Howedes will be out of action, but Schalke fear that their captain could be unavailable for up to six weeks.

Schalke have climbed to joint first spot in the Bundesliga table following Saturday's results.


Source: goal.com

Monchengladbach 3 - 1 Bayern Munchen

Bayern suffer Van Buyten blow

There was more bad news for Bayern Munich on Saturday as it emerged defender Daniel van Buyten is out for up to eight weeks after injuring his foot during the 3-1 upset defeat at Borussia Moenchengladbach.
The Belgium centre-back broke the metatarsal bone in his foot during a collision with 'Gladbach goal-scorer Marco Reus and after an operation on Saturday, he is expected to be out for between six to eight weeks.
Friday's defeat at 'Gladbach blew the German league title race wide open as both defending champions Borussia Dortmund, who play Hamburg on Sunday, and Schalke 04, who host Stuttgart on Saturday, have the chance to close the three-point gap behind Bayern.
Bayern's stars were highly self-critical after the defeat, but they will finish the weekend top of the table regardless of other results as they have a superior goal difference, while 'Gladbach are second and just one point behind.
"We're not yet where we need to be," said Dutch winger Arjen Robben, with Bayern set to face Swiss side Basel in the Champions League's Round of 16 next month.
Munich welcomed back Germany star Bastian Schweinsteiger for the first time in 11 weeks since he broke his collarbone, but Bayern's vice-captain was far from impressed with his team's performance.
"We have seen that we must do something. We need to flick the switch quickly. We are simply committing too many faults in our game," said Schweinsteiger, who scored the consolation goal with 20 minutes left.
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer made an uncharacteristic mistake to gift 'Gladbach the opening goal by Reus and the star shot-stopper had to shoulder some criticism.
"He tried to get the ball really fast back into the game, but he should have taken some of the pace out of their attack, that was his mistake," said Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes.
Neuer's mis-timed clearance was pounced on by Reus who fired home from 30 yards after 11 minutes.
"I wanted to hit the ball long down the right flank towards Arjen Robben and Thomas Muller, but I mistimed it and gave Reus an easy chance," admitted Neuer.
"Because of my bad pass, I have to take some blame for the defeat, that is obviously very disappointing."
After Reus had put 'Gladbach ahead, winger Patrick Herrmann was Borussia's match winner as he scored just before half-time and then added a second after the break to put 'Gladbach 3-0 up before Munich's consolation goal.
Heynckes refused to blame Neuer's early blunder for the defeat and said his team must raise their game for their next league match at home to Wolfsburg next Saturday.
"The sticking point for us was when we went 2-0 down just before the break," said Heynckes.
"I don't think my team understood how important it was to not give the ball away at that point."

Source: football.co.uk

Bayern Munich 4-1 Werder Bremen

Ribery & Robben each net brace as hosts move first

Bavarian giants advanced two spots to the Bundesliga summit as a late flurry of goals saw them to victory against 10-man Werder

Arjen Robben grabbed his first two goals since September as Bayern Munich reclaimed first place in the Bundesliga following a 4-1 win over Werder Bremen at the Allianz Arena.

Franck Ribery opened the scoring on 22 minutes, but substitute Markus Rosenberg drew the visitors level seven minutes into the second half. Robben, who also began the match on the bench, made it 2-1 from the penalty spot with 21 minutes to go, and Ribery put the game out of reach on 77 minutes as he completed his brace. 

Robben rounded off his brace on 83 minutes as he slotted home a second penalty, won by his left-sided opposite, Ribery.

Early on, the game was played tightly through the midfield, with chances hard to come by. The hosts used the counter-attack to their advantage, though, and had a couple looks at goal in the first half. The Frenchman nearly assisted Philipp Lahm with a glorious ball, butRibery eventually made it 1-0 as he latched onto an inch-perfect ball from David Alaba, took a touch and blasted home off the inside of the left post.

The hosts' lead was never safe at 1-0, though, and Bremen found their way back on level terms on 52 minutes as Rosenberg latched onto a clever ball from Claudio Pizarro, and blasted a low strike into the lower-left corner.

Bayern finally hit their stride late in the game, and after Andreas Wolf was penalised for a foul on Thomas Muller, Robben slotted home the resulting spot kick.

The hosts pressed on, and Mario Gomez had a seemingly onside goal called back before Ribery was felled by Sokratis in the box, and Robben made it 4-1 as he fired a low strike into the net from 11 metres.

To make matters worse for Bremen, midfielder Aaron Hunt was sent off for a straight red card on 81 minutes after he committed a dangerous challenge on Toni Kroos.

The result sees Bayern leapfrog Borussia Monchengladbach and Dortmund to move into first place, after the top two sides drew 1-1. Bremen remain fourth, four points behind the Borussias and a single point ahead of Schalke, who have a game in hand.

source: goal.com