Bayern players celebrate Spanish midfielder Thiago Alcantara’s (hidden) goal in extra-time which made the score 3-2 on the night, and 5-4 on aggregate, in Bayern’s favour. Kingsley Coman made it 4-2 soon after. PHOTO: AFP
Substitutes Thiago Alcantara and Kingsley Coman scored extra-time goals as Bayern roared back to beat Juve 4-2 in their last-16, second leg tie and seal a 6-4 aggregate victory.
A stunned Bayern found themselves 2-0 down after 28 minutes at the Allianz Arena as Paul Pogba and Juan Cuadrado struck for the Italians before the Bavarian side floored the Italians with four unanswered goals.
The hosts left it late as Robert Lewandowski netted on 73 minutes before Thomas Mueller’s dramatic equaliser in the 91st minute forced extra time.
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“Four goals against an Italian team. Wow!” beamed Guardiola. “I don’t know how often that has happened in history that a German team has scored four goals against an Italian side. It was a great game for the fans. We played against last season’s finalists and to come back from 2-0 down is very hard.”
The fightback keeps alive Guardiola’s dream of bringing the Champions League trophy to Munich at the third and final attempt before his high-profile move to Manchester City next season.
But Guardiola baulked at a cheeky question as to whether he would now like to face his future employers in the quarter-finals or the final in Milan on May 28.
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“I can’t decide that. We’ll have to see what comes from the draw,” he said tersely.
This is the seventh time Guardiola has reached the Champions League quarter-finals in as many attempts as a coach at the highest level.
In his four years with Barcelona, he won the title in 2009 and 2011, reaching the semi-finals in 2010 and 2012, while he steered Bayern to the last-four in Europe in each of the last two seasons.
It was a heartbreaking end for last season’s finalists Juventus. “Of course I am disappointed,” said their coach Massimiliano Allegri. “But I have to pay my team a big compliment: we played one of the favourites for the title and we played better than in the first leg.”
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Allegri felt his side deserved better. “That’s football, we made our first big mistake after 90 minutes. And they scored from one of their first few chances through Lewandowski,” he said. “We could have reacted better, but we didn’t have the strength left to score another goal. We were 2-0 up and we could have been 3-0 up, but it’s not easy to get a result here.”
Barcelona artists are best Wenger’s ever seen
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger hailed Barcelona’s front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar as capable of turning football into art as all three struck to eliminate his side from the Champions League.
The Gunners bowed out at the last-16 stage for a sixth consecutive season 5-1 on aggregate after a 3-1 defeat at the Camp Nou, but gave the European champions a scare with a spirited display.
However, the difference in quality in front of goal was the deciding factor in the tie as Barca’s South American trio all netted to take their combined tally for the season to 106.
“We have to admire art and they have two or three players that transform normal life into art,” said Wenger. “I have to say we played against a team with the best strikers I’ve seen. The three are exceptional and from nothing they can create a chance.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 18th, 2016.
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