Bayern emerge from shadows to reach Champions League Final
A combination of hard work and another slice of good fortune proved more than enough for Bayern Munich to cruise into the Champions League Final on Tuesday evening at the expense of lacklustre Lyon.
Bayern’s Croatian striker Ivica Olić was the hero of the night, scoring the hat-trick which sealed the Bundesliga outfit’s place in next month’s final - the first time they have reached the showpiece event since 2001.
Much more was expected of their opponents, Lyon, who were competing in the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in their history. A 1-0 defeat from the first leg, although not insurmountable, eventually proved a hill too steep for Les Gones (The Kids) to climb. It really was men against boys at the Stade de Gerland as Claude Puel’s men found themselves cruelly out of their depth from the first whistle.
Throughout this European campaign, the gods have been smiling down on Bayern Munich. In the group stages, Louis van Gaal’s side had to rely on a last-matchday victory against an out-of-sorts Juventus to seal their place in the last 16. Then in the first knockout round itself, an offside goal from striker Miroslav Klose against Fiorentina was crucial in helping them scrape through to the quarter-finals on away goals.
There they faced Manchester United and looked set to crash out of the tournament in the second leg at Old Trafford. With 41 minutes gone on the clock, the German side were 3-0 down, having been outplayed by Sir Alex Ferguson’s men. However, the Red Devils’ star man, Wayne Rooney, was forced to limp off because of an injury he’d started the match with, and then full-back Rafael was contentiously sent-off in the second half. The outcome? A 3-2 defeat, which was enough to see Bayern through to the semis - again on away goals.
They say you make your own luck in football, but Bayern really have used up their quota for the current campaign – and probably the next 10 after this.
Last night, they once again found themselves on the right side of a poor refereeing decision, as Lyon’s talismanic central defender – and captain – Cris, was shown two yellow cards in quick succession, with half an hour of the match remaining, to kill the tie off as a contest.
By this point, Bayern had already taken the lead through the tireless Olić, leaving Lyon with the unenviable task of having to find three goals. But Cris, who sarcastically applauded Swiss referee Massimo Busacca following an unfair booking for a seemingly good challenge on Olić, was given his marching orders mid-way through the second half to effectively confirm Bayern’s place in the final.
The remaining 30 minutes produced an encounter which resembled a training session rather than a European Cup semi-final. As Bayern effortlessly stroked the ball around defence and midfield, tears could be seen on the faces of not only Lyon’s loyal supporters, but also on the face of striker Lisandro López.
The Argentinian forward has been substituted and the pain etched on his face summed up the general mood around the Stade de Gerland. The home fans knew their side had wasted, what could have been, a once in a lifetime opportunity of reaching the showpiece final of club football’s most prestigious competition.
Instead of taking pity on their despondent opponents, Bayern simply grew more ruthless. Olić grabbed another two goals in the 67th and 77th minute to complete a perfect hat-trick (right foot, left foot, header) and raise his Champions League tally to seven goals from nine matches in the process.
The Croatian deservedly took the plaudits for his fine display of finishing in the 3-0 victory; but in truth, even if it had been Klose, Mario Gomez or Emile Heskey upfront, the result wouldn’t have been much different.
Just like Barcelona last year, Bayern Munich had the rub of the green in last night’s semi-final second leg. They remain on course for an historic treble – just like Barca were this time last year – and have a squad of players capable of producing moments of magic – again, just like the team who they could meet in next month’s final at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Bayern will be sure to keep close tabs on this evening’s clash between the revered Catalan side and Inter Milan at the Nou Camp, but there is a real feeling around the Allianz Arena at present that they can take on and overcome any other team in the world.
"Bayern can beat any team. That's why we are here," a confident van Gaal proclaimed in the aftermath of last night’s semi-final victory.
On the evidence of their last few European encounters, it certainly wouldn’t be wise to bet against the resurgent German giants lifting their fifth European Cup next month.
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