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Bayern Munich Beat Lyon 3-0, Advance to Face PSG in Champions League Final
August 19, 2020
A brace from Serge Gnabry powered Bayern Munich into the Champions League final as the Bundesliga winners earned a 3-0 win over Lyon in the semifinals.
Lyon started brightly and narrowly missed on a pair of chances to go ahead 1-0. Gnabry made the French side pay with his best Arjen Robben impression.
Gnabry collected the ball on the right flank and ran across the edge of the 18-yard box before firing a powerful left-footed shot past Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes.
Gnabry's second was less picturesque. The normally clinical Robert Lewandowski couldn't get a solid touch to a low cross from Ivan Perisic. Gnabry followed up with a tap-in after Lopes was unable to clear the danger.
Once again just like when he put four past Tottenham Hotspur in last year's Champions League, some were quick to call back to how poorly Gnabry's stint in the Premier League with Arsenal went before he became a star for Bayern.
The match might have unfolded very differently if either of Lyon's two forwards capitalized when getting in behind the Bayern defense. Memphis Depay hit the side netting in the fourth minute, and Karl Toko Ekambi had a shot carom off the post in the 17th minute.
Bayern devastated Barcelona in the quarterfinals with eight goals, a result so one-sided the Catalans sacked their manager and sporting director ahead of a potential full-scale transformation.
The gap between Bayern and Lyon was much smaller, though the Bavarians were deserved winners because they took full advantage of their opportunities.
Lyon simply didn't have luck on their side, and they were also up against one of the best goalkeepers in the world to add further difficulty.
As the captain, Depay was one of the first names on the team sheet. Manager Rudi Garcia might rue having started the Dutch striker since Lyon looked a little more threatening after Depay made way for Moussa Dembele in the 58th minute.
They were still unable to claw a goal back, and Lewandowski removed any doubt by scoring in the 88th minute.
From a neutral perspective, Bayern vs. PSG is probably the final most fans wanted to see when the semifinals were set.
Lyon making a Champions League final would've been a great story, but they dropped both of their Ligue 1 meetings with PSG by a combined score of 5-2. The Parisians also look sharper than they were when the two sides met in the Coupe de la Ligue final in July, when they prevailed 6-5 on penalties.
Bayern will be a tougher test for Paris Saint-Germain, who might also relish besting an established European power to capture that elusive Champions League trophy.
What's Next?
Bayern and PSG will face off Sunday at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal. Bayern are looking to collect their sixth European cup, which would tie them with Liverpool for the third-most of all time. PSG, on the other hand, have yet to lift the trophy.