All Bar�a�s football

Match

Marcador del partit

Date: Tuesday, 14 Apr
Competition: ???label.competicio1???
Stadium: Allianz Arena, Munich

Resultat:

Bayern M.: 1
FC Barcelona: 1

Match report

Match Report
Pre-Match

Match Report

More info

Goal

1-0 Ribery (min 46)
1-1 Keita (min 73)

Keita rocket seals semis spot (1-1)

Jordi Clos

Barca booked their ticket for the UCL semi-finals with a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Stadium tonight after their 4-0 win at the Nou Camp last week. A Keita rocket from the edge of the box saw Barca equalise Ribery�s earlier strike.

Mission accomplished for Guardiola’s team, who eased through to the semi-finals for the second season on the run. In truth, they never looked like losing the tie in Munich, safely ensconced behind their four goal Nou Camp cushion and even when Ribery put the Germans ahead in the second half, Barca just upped their game a further notch to equalise with a spectacular Keita strike that firmly put the game and the tie out of Bayern’s reach.

Guadiola sticks to his guns

Pep Guardiola, who was forced to watch the game from the stands, stuck by his pre-match rhetoric and sent out a team to attack, as if the first leg had ended goalless rather than with a four goal advantage. Pep had predicted a different Bayern from the one the fans saw at the Nou Camp last week and J�rgen Klinsmann’s team certainly showed a lot more threat this time round.

Bayern show they mean business

A Luca Toni header on 5 minutes and a Ribery effort on 13 showed Bayern meant business and they funnelled their attacks down Barca’s right, where Alves and Messi began a titanic struggle with Lahm and Ribery. Barca were playing with the same intensity and aggression that they had shown in the first leg and were cleverly drawing Bayern’s fire by keeping the ball away from their area and bringing the attacking trio of Iniesta and Eto’o and Messi into the mix as much as possible.

Although they managed few shots on target, Barca were a constant threat to Butt’s goal with Alves coming closest on 37 minutes. Bayern’s attacking options through Toni were being snuffed out by the dominant Barca defence, though he did have a single chance just before half time.

Ribery puts Bayern ahead

Bayern came out of the traps fastest in the second half and almost immediately Ribery put them one up, getting behind the Barca defence, dribbling past Valdes and firing home for the first goal. Barca kept their cool though and just a minute later Messi could have drawn them level, just failing to latch onto a venomous Alves cross.

Keita on target to ensure last four berth

As the pace quickened though, Barca were more clearly in their element and it was no real surprise when a lovely passing move involving Iniesta, Xavi and Eto’o ended with Keita firing home from outside the box to equalise. With the tie virtually done and dusted, both teams searched for a win in the game, but without success and Barac were able to secure their semi-final berth with a convincing 5-1 aggregate win.

Now, it’s only Chelsea who stand in their way of another European Final as Guardiola’s team confirmed the club’s place in the elite of the European game.

Preview

Chelsea or Liverpool in the semi-finals

The team which emerges from the Bayern v Bar�a tie will line up in the semi-finals against the winner of the Liverpool v Chelsea duel. That tie will also be decided this evening, with the Londoners holding a 3-1 advantage after the first leg at Anfield.

Bar�a looking to finish off the tie

Jordi Clos

Bar�a goes into today�s Champions League quarter final match at the Allianz Arena (8.45 pm, Antena 3) 4-0 up after the first leg at Camp Nou. The team will be seeking the goal that will kill off the tie.

League leaders and Spanish Cup finalists, this evening Bar�a has an historic opportunity to reach a European Cup semi-final for the eleventh time. They come into the Allianz Arena game with a 4-0 cushion from last week’s Camp Nou clash, but Bayern’s striking power and the tradition of both the club and German football mean the Catalans can’t afford to ease up.

Seven wins on the spin

Pep Guardiola’s team is still in three competitions and is in good form. Bar�a have won their last seven games and in six of them have kept a clean sheet. They are also playing in a way that is earning praise worldwide. Guardiola tried to keep collective feet on the ground in his pre-match press conference by saying “we need to score a goal”.

After being thrashed by Wolfsburg and Bar�a, last weekend Bayern eased past a toothless Eintracht Frankfurt by 4-0 in the Bundesliga.

Heavyweights on show

Despite the first leg advantage and Bar�a’s excellent form, Pep Guardiola has taken all his heavyweights to Munich, including Thierry Henry who has a temperature. The only players left out are Jorquera, Pedro and V�ctor S�nchez who weren’t selected, the suspended M�rquez and the injured Milito. On the German side, J�rgen Klinsmann has recovered two key players in his defence, centre-back Lucio and full-back Lahm. The only Catalan within one yellow of suspension is Busquets, while Borowski, Demichelis and Van Bommel are in the same boat for Bayern.

Back at the Allianz Arena

Tonight’s match will be Barcelona’s first competitive game in the majestic Allianz Arena. The Catalans played a friendly there in the summer of 2007 when Leo Messi scored the only goal of the game. In European competition Bar�a have never won away at Bayern Munich.