I have to say, it's always fun to watch big marketing creations like Real Madrid crumble. The Galacticos have all moved on except the tiresome and over-rated Raul and Roberto Carlos, and in the absense of Fabio Cannavaro, I had to wonder if anybody knew how to play defense on this team today. On countless counter-attacks, Bayern strikers kept catching Madrid defenders napping, way too far upfield and not picking up anybody. With miles of space and the speed to exploit it, Bayern was getting some nasty chances. The Madrid defenders kept lamely asserting that anybody who got past them was offside, but when you play up at the halfway line, you're not getting the offside trap called. Iker Casillas had a nice game in goal, otherwise Madrid would have been even more boned.
Bayern's first goal was classic. Raul received the opening kick and passed it to Roberto Carlos who got a bad touch and had the ball dribble over his foot and past him. Roberto Carlos turned around just in time to see Hasan Salihamidžić scoop the ball up as he blew past him. Roberto Carlos couldn't catch him, nobody was awake for Madrid to close him down, and Salihamidžić got off a cross into the box for Roy Makaay, who was also out ahead of huffing and puffing Madrid defenders. Makaay scored with 11 seconds on the clock, a Champions League record.
Munich increased their lead in the second half when Willie Sagnol found Lucio on a corner kick, to make it 2-0. Munich really continued to look dominant, until the last ten minutes, when Cassano and Robinho came up with the idea of flopping their way to the quarterfinals. Robinho did a Superman dive over an outstretched leg to win a penalty, which Ruud van Kneestillsore converted perfectly, putting it safely inside the right post with enough power and enough of a curve on it that Oliver Kahn had no chance to get to it.
Madrid almost tied it up again with more cheating, as Guti put a long pass to the edge of the Munich box, and a heavily marked Sergio Ramos headed it over to Raul, who used his prehensile stomach to trap it and bring it down for a beautiful finish rocketed into the corner of the net. Well, that's what he wanted us to think, actually he trapped it with his arm, not his stomach, so no goal. In the final scuffles to try and get something going for Madrid, Van Bommel and Diarra got sent off, so the game finished 10 on 10, however ESPN ran long and my tivo cut off the end of the game. Which is odd, because it was tape-delayed, so I don't know how they could have unexpectedly run long, especially with a 15 minute introduction that could have easily been cut down.
The 2-1 victory is added to the previous result from the Bernabeu, 3-2 in Madrid's favor, so the two teams tied on aggregate 4-4, but Bayern wins 2-1 on away goals, and go on to face Milan in the quarterfinals. The last minute goal by Van Bommel in Madrid did prove critical, and if Madrid had held their 3-1 lead, they'd be in the quarterfinals.
Also not in the the quarterfinals are Arsenal, who lost to PSV. For the first in a decade Arsenal won't be competing for a trophy in the spring. PSV go on to face Liverpool, who upset cup holders Barcelona. Manchester United faces Roma, and Chelsea will play Valencia. I will keep my loyal yet totally uninterested readership apprised of any further developments.
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