Bayern Munich vs. Atletico Madrid: Pep Guardiola, Diego Simeone React to UCL Tie
Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola was clearly emotional after his side were defeated 2-2 on aggregate in the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, as the Spaniard now prepares to move to the Premier League to take over Manchester City.
The Bundesliga champions crashed out of the competition, exiting on away goals after the second-leg score remained 2-1 in their favor at the final whistle at the Allianz Arena after a smash-and-grab by Atleti French hitman Antoine Griezmann.
The Mirror's Ed Malyon quoted the former Barcelona boss—as Bayern tripped one step short of a final's berth:
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Guardiola said he hopes new manager Carlo Ancelotti can continue providing success for Der FCB, although the new City boss failed to win Europe's elite club competition with his stellar squad in Bavaria.
Malyon once again provided quotes:
Tuesday night belonged to Atletico and manager Diego Simeone after it appeared the Germans would advance to the final after dominating possession and territory in Munich.
Simeone highlighted Bayern's excellence on the night, per ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan, but also tipped his hat to the young starlets in his own starting XI:
A free-kick from Xabi Alonso broke the deadlock for the hosts after overwhelming control of the opening stage of the second leg.
Bayern spurned a number of chances to further their lead as Atleti appeared well off the pace, including a missed penalty from Thomas Muller. It would prove costly, as Griezmann scored a stunning away goal on the counter-attack in the second half.
Robert Lewandowski made it 2-1 on the night late in the match, but it was too late to make a difference.
As his three-year spell comes to a disappointing conclusion, Guardiola added after the game he is proud of his achievements at Bayern, per Corrigan:
Atleti will now face either local rivals Real Madrid or Manchester City (the teams play Wednesday) in the final at the San Siro in Milan.
Much will be made of Guardiola's failure at Bayern when his side had stranglehold on the match going into the second half, but one moment of magic from Griezmann was enough to flip the result on its head.
To their credit, the hosts continued to attack late into the game. But the La Liga side have cultivated success using their extraordinary defence—and they bolted the door shut in the final minutes to secure the famous victory.
