Bayern Munich vs. Barcelona: Score, Grades from 2015 Champions League Semi-Final
Bayern Munich managed to beat Barcelona 3-2 at home during the return leg of their Champions League semi-final Tuesday, but the result wasn't enough to overcome their 3-0 loss at the Camp Nou during the first leg. Barcelona move on to the final, where they will meet the winner of the tie between Real Madrid and Juventus.
Mehdi Benatia gave the hosts an early lead, but two goals from Neymar all but ended the tie. Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller scored second-half goals to ensure Bayern would at least win the return leg, but they could do little more.
The match started at a brilliant pace, with chances for both sides. Ivan Rakitic forced Manuel Neuer into making a difficult stop before a mistake from Dani Alves set up Muller, who nearly managed to get the ball past Gerard Pique.
Bayern knew they needed to score early to have any chance of coming back in this tie, and within minutes of the opening whistle, the hosts had the ball in the net. Benatia was left a wide-open corner and casually headed the ball past Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who had no help at either post.
Bleacher Report UK couldn't help itself:
As WhoScored.com shared, the goal marked the end of an impressive streak for the Catalan defence:
The Bavarians started taking control of the match, with Lewandowski finding some space on the right side before another cross caused some panic in the Blaugrana box.
The Allianz Arena was rocking and was fully behind its team, but Barcelona shocked the fans by equalising out of nowhere. A beautiful passing move saw Luis Suarez go one-on-one with Neuer, and the Uruguayan laid the ball off for Neymar, who tapped it in from close range.
Brooks Peck of Dirty Tackle felt almost bad for the Bavarians:
Bayern now needed to score four more goals, something that seemed almost impossible. Muller came close to handing his team the lead again in the 19th minute, but Ter Stegen produced a fine save to deny his Germany team-mate's header.
Lewandowski was played in beautifully minutes later and perhaps should have scored, but he directed his left-footed poke straight at Ter Stegen.
WhoScored.com reminded fans that Bayern have the attacking firepower to overcome even the biggest deficit:
Lionel Messi responded with a first-touch blast from close range, but he aimed his shot straight at Neuer. On the other end of the pitch, Muller found some space but couldn't get past Ter Stegen.
The third goal of the match followed soon after, as Suarez took advantage of some dreadful defending to play in Neymar, who grabbed his second goal with a near-post finish.
Journalist Ufuoma Egbamuno had a hard time wrapping his head around Bayern manager Pep Guardiola's decision to stick with the high defensive line:
The second goal seemed to suck all of the energy out of the Bavarian team. It took 15 minutes before the hosts made a stir again, with Bastian Schweinsteiger threatening Ter Stegen with a powerful header. Replays showed Javier Mascherano wrestled Lewandowski to the ground with a move that belonged in a wrestling ring, but the official held his whistle.
Lewandowski came agonisingly close to scoring just a minute later, as Ter Stegen only partially saved his shot, and it rolled toward the goal. The 'keeper managed to sprint back and stop the ball as it touched the line, and replays confirmed it never fully passed it.
BBC Sport was impressed with Ter Stegen's effort:
Benatia had another free header from a Xabi Alonso free-kick right before the half ended, but this time, he put his effort wide of goal.
Facing an almost-impossible deficit, Bayern came out with little energy to start the second half. Barcelona manager Luis Enrique took off Suarez for Pedro and instructed his team to simply keep things tight at the back. Barring a handful of crosses, the hosts hardly threatened Ter Stegen.
Lewandowski brought some life back to the crowd with his first goal of the match 30 minutes before the final whistle. It was a beautiful bit of skill, as Bundesliga Fanatic's Cristian Nyari noted, but the Poland international should have gotten on the scoresheet far sooner:
The goal seemed to wake the hosts up again, and soon after, they were pushing the Catalans back into their own half with crisp passing movements.
There were a few instances of genuine panic among the Barcelona back four, with Mascherano in particular looking shaky. But all in all, the Bavarian pressure didn't lead to any real chances.
BeIN Sports' Tancredi Palmeri took a look at Guardiola's record against his former club, and it didn't look pretty:
With four goals needed to turn the tie around, Guardiola threw all of his troops forward. Muller eventually put the Bavarians ahead with 16 minutes left to play, curling a beautiful effort past Ter Stegen after great work from Schweinsteiger.
Barcelona introduced Xavi Hernandez to help keep the Bavarian attack at bay, and per BBC Sport, the veteran midfielder became the first player ever to make 150 Champions League appearances:
Desperation started to kick in for Bayern, and the hosts abandoned their traditional passing game for a more direct approach. Lewandowski had a crack on goal from distance, but his effort missed the target by a mile. Neymar nearly serviced Messi to make the score 3-2, while substitute Mario Gotze came close to scoring one more goal for the hosts.
The Blaugrana easily defended their three-goal cushion in the final minutes and can now book their tickets for Berlin, where they'll either meet La Liga rivals Real Madrid or Serie A champions Juventus.
With two matches left to play in La Liga, Barcelona hold a four-point lead over Real, and they have also qualified for the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao. The Champions League final only adds to what has been a phenomenal season for the Catalans, who are in great shape to win the treble.
Relevant Match Grades
Ivan Rakitic: A
Neymar and Suarez will steal the headlines for their fantastic team goals, but Rakitic was Barcelona's hammer in midfield and did a fantastic job keeping Bayern at bay. The Croatia international was superb in the first leg, and Tuesday's return leg was no different.
Luis Suarez: A
Unselfishness isn't the first word that comes to mind when you think of Suarez, but his two assists for Neymar showed just how far this Barcelona front three has come. The Uruguayan could have tried to finish both chances himself, but his keen eye and patience led to two great goals and a ticket to the Champions League final.
Jerome Boateng: C
Barcelona's two goals were a beautiful display of teamwork, but twice they took full advantage of Bayern's suspect defence. Jerome Boateng appeared to be sleepwalking and allowed Suarez far too much space in his back. Ultimately, those mistakes cost the club dearly.
Post-Match Reaction
Enrique's message after the match was very simple, as the club's official Twitter account shared. Barcelona came to Munich to book their ticket to the final, and now it's time to look ahead:
He also touched on the little meeting he had with Guardiola after the match, per barcastuff:
"Luis Enrique: "What did Guardiola tell me after the game? Two good friends always wish each other all the best." #fcblive
— barcastuff (@barcastuff) May 12, 2015"
Andres Iniesta echoed the same sentiment as his manager, taking to Twitter to inform the fans the Catalans' job is far from over:
"Iniesta: "We're in the final, we are where we wanted to be be. Now we'll try to make the last step and finish the job." #fcblive
— barcastuff (@barcastuff) May 12, 2015"
