FC
Bayern München fought back from three goals down on the night to oust
Manchester United FC from the UEFA Champions League on away goals.
On
a pulsating evening, United stormed into a three-goal lead through
Darron Gibson and a Nani double. Yet Ivica Olić's goal just before the
break raised Bayern hopes and after Rafael's 50th-minute dismissal,
Bayern capitalised on the extra man thanks to a stunning Arjen Robben
volley 16 minutes from time.
It was a repeat of the
Dutchman's decisive goal in the identical away-goals win against ACF
Fiorentina in the last 16 and means Bayern can look forward to their
first semi-final since 2001, the year of their last European crown when
they also beat United at this stage.
The home fans had
a lift before kick-off with the news that Wayne Rooney would be
starting, just days after Sir Alex Ferguson had said he faced "two to
three weeks" out with the ankle injury sustained in the first leg.
United
then made a dream start with a third-minute goal involving two other
surprise names on the team sheet. Rafael, in for Gary Neville,
dispossessed Franck Ribéry and played the ball to Rooney, who laid it
on to Gibson. The Northern Irishman, making only his second start of
2010, side-footed a low shot inside the near post from the edge of the
box for his first UEFA Champions League goal.
After
seven minutes United had their second. Antonio Valencia teased Holger
Badstuber out on the right before driving in a low cross that Nani,
ghosting beyond the Bayern back line, turned in with a cute flick of
his heel. Michael Carrick, with a shot, and Rooney, a header, then went
close with Bayern were struggling to live with the pace of United's
play, even with Rooney now hobbling. They duly made it 3-0 as Valencia
broke down the right and crossed for Nani to drive the ball high into
the net.
Two minutes later, however, Bayern pulled a
goal back through Olić. Latching onto Thomas Müller's flicked header,
the Croatian shrugged aside Michael Carrick and beat Edwin van der Sar
from a tight angle.
Louis van Gaal sent on Mario Gómez for Müller
at the interval and within five minutes Bayern found themselves with a
man advantage when Rafael collected a second yellow for pulling back
Ribéry.
With Rooney making way for John O'Shea, Bayern
pressed for a second and Van der Sar punched clear a Ribéry drive just
before the hour while Gómez skimmed the crossbar with a header. It was
not all one-way traffic, not with United's counterattacking threat –
twice Butt saved well from Nani, while Carrick and Gibson spurned
half-chances.
With 16 minutes remaining, though,
Robben broke United's resistance by levelling the aggregate scores at
4-4. Ribéry's corner found him on the edge of the box and the Dutchman
drove the ball on the volley past a helpless Van der Sar and into the
far corner. For United, the dream of a third successive final was over.
April 6th 2010
Barcelona 4-1 Arsenal
Short
Summary: All of Barca's goals scored by the world's best player, Lionel
Messi, and one early goal from the Gunners' Nicklas Bendtner.
CSKA Moskva 0-1 Internazionale
Short Summary: Only goal of the match was scored by Sneijder, launching Inter into the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2003.
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