Here’s David Hytner’s match report from the Allianz Arena:
Hmmmm. Footage has emerged of Diego Simeone giving club delegate Pedro Pablo Matesanz a fairly vigorous shove on the touchline as he was preparing to hoist his board for a substitution.
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That game had a bit of everything!
Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich lose their third consecutive Champions League semi-final against Spanish opposition. He’ll leave the club without having won the trophy, which has to be considered a failure.
Xabi Alonso opened the scoring for Bayern with a deflected free-kick, only to see his team-mate Th0omas Muller miss with a penalty a couple of minutes later. In the second half, Antoine Griezmann wrestled control of the tie back in Atletico’s favour, leaving Bayern Neuer needing two goals to win it. Robert Lewandowski got one of them before Fernando Torres missed from the spot, to leave Bayern over five minutes in which to grab the goal they needed. Their attempt was valiant, but they came up short. Atletico Madrd are through to the final in the San Siro on 28 May.
Full-time: Bayern Munich 2-1 Atletico Madrid (Agg: 2-2)
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeep! Atletico Madrid go through to their third Champions League final on away goals after a truly rivetting semi-final.
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90+4 min: Coman picks out Ribery in the Atletico penalty area with a low cross from the right touchline. The French international is crowded off the ball before he can shoot.
90+4 min: Diego Godin is on hand to put a halt to Bayern’s latest attempt to get the ball into their penalty area. He’s been superb tonight.
90+3 min: Atletico Madrid bring on Stefan Savic for Koke, who has to be chivvied along by the ref as he dawdles off the pitch at glacier speed.
90+3 min: Coman hooks over the bar from a decent position.
90+1 min: Atletico are doing everything they can to waste time, but the referee is wise to their caper. Bayern Munich win a corner, which Franck Ribery plays into the mixer. Atletico scramble clear.
90 min: There’s a break in play as Oblak receives medical assistance for some non-existent injury or other. We’ll have five minutes of added time.
88 min: Oblak pulls off a good save to help his team retain the advantage. He had to dive low and to his left to clear a fine shot from Alaba from the edge of the penalty area. He struck after the ball broke to him from a cleared Bayern corner.
86 min: Bayern Munich seize their late lifeline and go in search of the goal that would see them through to the Champions League final at the San Siro. Lewandowski crosses into the Atletico penalty area, where Arturo Vidal is unable to control his header this time around.
SAVED! Manuel Neuer saves from Fernando Torres!
Fernando Torres misses from 12 yards with a penalty that was identical to that taken by Thomas Muller in the first half. Neuer keeps his team in with a shout of making the final. It was a shocking decision in the first place - Torres was quite clearly outside the penalty area when Javi Martinez dived in to fell him.
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PENALTY FOR ATLETICO MADRID!
Fernando Torres goes down under a challenge and the referee points to the spot for the second time.
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82 min: Atletico Madrid substitution: Antoine Griezmann dawdles off and is replaced by Thomas Partey. A defensive midfielder for a striker.
81 min: Alaba tries a shot from just outside the Atletico penalty area, but it’s blocked by Javi Martinez. Bayern’s fans appeal for a penalty for hand-ball, but the referee fails to oblige them.
79 min: Looking at replays, I’m not sure I give Arturo Vidal enough credit for a wonderful header across the face of goal. He had to leap high and place it perfectly from the edge of the six-yard box, to make it easy for Lewandowski to head into an empty net once he’d slipped his marker.
77 min: Needed another goal to win the tie, Bayern get forward again. Lahm’s cross is just a little too far behind Lewandowski, who was in a great position.
75 min: We’re set up for a seriously tense and exciting finale, as an unmarked Robert Lewandowski heads home from a couple of yards out at the far post after Arturo Vidal had flicked a header across the face of goal. David Alaba was the instigator, getting a splendid cross in from the left flank to set up the goal.
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GOAL! Bayern Munich 2-1 Atletico Madrid (Agg: 2-2)
74 min: Robert Lewandowski heads home from three or four yards to get Bayern back in the game!
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74 min: Alaba wins a corner for Bayern. The ball’s sent into the penalty area, where Javi Martinez gets a touch on it with his head, but can’t steer it goalwards.
73 min: Bayern substitution: Kingsley Coman on for Douglas Costa.
73 min: Bayern Munich are currently enjoying all the possession, but doing little with it.
70 min: Vidal plays the ball into the Atletico Madrid penalty area and it drops beautifully for Lewandowski, who attempts to drive it past Oblak with a right-footed volley. He doesn’t catch the ball at all well, making the save fairly easy for the goalkeeper. Under any circumstances, you’d have expected a man of his skills to bury that.
67 min: Ribery and Alaba combine well down the left and the cross is sent towards the far post towards Muller. It’s too close to Oblak, who claims the ball comfortably.
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66 min: Ribery ends a rampaging run throw the centre and attempts to lay off the ball for Lewandowski in the Atletico penalty area. His first touch is poor and Atletico clear.
65 min: Bayern need two goals in 25 minutes, which is far from beyond a team of their talents, but they’re not enjoying anything like the same superiority of the first half. Atletico are fighting fire with fire, pressing the bejaysus out of Bayern’s players before they can settle on the ball.
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63 min: Jerome Boateng curls a cross into the Atletico penalty area, where Muller attempts to knock the ball down for Lewandowski. It’s put out for a corner, from which nothing comes as Diego Godin is on hand to head clear.
62 min: Filipe Luis shepherds the ball out of play in his own penalty area, where Philipp Lahm goes to ground as he scrambles to try and keep it in. Bayern’s supporters appeal for a penalty, but they’re chancing their arms on that one.
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60 min: Juanfran takes a shot on the fly from distance. His low, diagonal drive is hooked well wide of the far post. Some neat build-up play from Atletico Madrid.
58 min: For all the excellence of Griezmann’s finish, he did look offside when he picked up the ball from Torres about 40 yards from the Bayern goal. He surged forward and shot low and hard from the edge of the penalty area, having given Manuel Neuer what is known in football parlance as “the eyes”.
57 min: Desperate times for Bayern Munich, who need two goals if they are to go through. There’s no possibility of extra time now. Atletico win a free-kick not too far outside the Bayern penalty area, but Griezmann shoots straight into the defensive wall. That’s a poor effort.
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55 min: Atletico Madrid wrestle control of the tie back from Bayern courtesy of a splendid individual goal. Griezmann was standing in an offside position as he picked up a through ball from Fernando Torres. He had lots to do and did it brilliantly, advancing into the penalty area and clipping the ball over Manuel Neuer.
GOAL! Bayern Munich 1-1 Atletico Madrid (Agg;1-2) (Griezmann 54)
53 min: Antoine Griezmann finishes brilliantly, beating Manuel Neuer in a one-on-one.
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51 min: Atletico Madrid win a throw-in deep in Bayern territory, when Neuer sweeper-keepers the ball out of play. It’s pinged to Carrasco, who loses possession.
49 min: While trying to shepherd the ball out of play over the byline, Diego Godin allows Robert Lewandowski to nip in behind him and hook the ball back into play. Atletico get away with it, but are badly stretched. Vidal gets off a shot, which is deflected wide. A corner for Bayern, from which Javi Martinez heads over the bar.
48 min: Koke curls the free-kick in towards the far post, where Manuel Neuer plucks it from the sky.
47 min: Griezmann plays the ball wide to Carrasco on the left flank. He’s hacked down by Arturo Vidal and wins a free-kick.
Bayern Munich 1-0 Atletico Madrid (Agg: 1-1) second half is go!
46 min: Bayern Munich get the second half started, having enjoyed 71% of possession in the first half. Atletico Madrid have made a change, with Yannick Carrasco on for Augusto Fernandez.
The teams wander back out for the second half: Thomas Muller is laughing uproariously as he emerges from the dressing room; not the demeanour you’d expect from a man who’s had a first half penalty saved.
It’s looking good for Bayern They roared out of the traps, have really dominated possession and really taken the game to Atletico Madrid, who haven’t been given a chance to settle on the ball or get into their stride. My concern for Pep Guardiola’s side would be that there’s little chance of them being able to maintain this gallop and Atletico are bound to get chances the longer the game progresses. Don’t forget, as things stands we’re heading for extra time and penalties.
Half-time: Bayern Munich 1-0 Atletico Madrid (Agg: 1-1)
A breathless, frenetic and occasionally scrappy first half draws to a close. Bayern Munich will be the happier of the two teams, having restored parity courtesy of Xabi Alonso’s deflected free-kick from just outside the Atletico penalty area. They won’t be so pleased with Thomas Muller’s penalty miss a couple of minutes later. Having been recalled for tonight’s game, he had his spot-kick saved by Atletico’s excellent Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
45 min: Alaba gets forward towards the corner flag, where he finds his path blocked by Juanfran and Gimenez.
44 min: Vidal sends Muller galloping down the right flank and he arcs the ball into the penalty area. Lewandowski wins the header under extreme pressure from Jose Gimenez, but is unable to get any purchase on the ball or steer it towards goal.
42 min: Bayern Munich get forward again, with Robert Lewandowski on the ball down by the corner flag. He’s dispossessed and Atletico get forward.
40 min: There was a minor touchline skirmish involving Diego Simeone, Franck Ribery, David Alaba and Robert Lewandowski, but it’s handbags and the referee is quick to sort it out.
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36 min: Well, they were a lively few minutes. After scoring from a free-kick awarded for an Augusto Fernandez foul on David Alaba, Bayern went in search of a second. Cuneyt Cakir had no hesitation in pointing to the spot when he spotted the luckless Jose Giminez helping himself to a fistful of Javi Martinez. The ensuing penalty was struck at a nice height for Jan Oblak, it must be said, but the penalty wasn’t terrible.
Thomas Muller misses from the spot!
It’s as you were as Thomas Muller is denied by a brilliant save from Jan Oblak, who threw himself to his right to claw the German’s penalty away to the right and clear of danger.
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Penalty for Bayern Munich!
Gimenez is penalised and booked for tugging the shirt of Martinez in the penalty area.
32 min: Bayern Munich lead 1-0 on the night and it’s 1-1 on aggregate after that goal from Xabi Alonso. Bayern had several players standing over the free-kick and the Spaniard shot low and hard. It took a massive deflection off Gimenez and fizzed past the hopelessly wrongfooted Oblak.
GOAL! Bayern Munich 1-0 Atletico Madrid (Agg: 1-1) (Alonso 30)
Xabi ALonso steps up to the free-kick to shoot low and hard. His effort takes a deflection and skids in the middle of the goal.
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30 min: Free-kick for Bayern, just outside the Atletico penalty area, almost dead centre. This is a chance!
29 min: Referee Cuneyt Cakir has a word with Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak about the length of time he’s taking over his goal kicks.
28 min: Philipp Lahm shoots over from distance from the right flank.
26 min: Atletico win a corner as Koke attempts to keep the ball in play, under pressure from David Alaba. He takes an eternity to send the ball in to the Bayern penalty area, where Phillip Lahm.
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25 min: Bayern Munich’s fans appealed for a penalty when Oblek dived at Lewandowski’s feet just now, but replays show there was no foul.
23 min: Diego Godin blocks from Lewandowski to concede a corner. Douglas Costa swings the ball into the penalty area, where it pinballs around before falling for Franck Ribery outside the box. His fizzing shot is parried into the path of Lewandowski, who shoots over under pressure from the goalkeeper. He’d followed up, but the ball didn’t drop kindly enough for him.
20 min: Oblek saves from Lewandowski, who attempted to shoot into the bottom corner from a narrow angle, after being put through by Thomas Muller. He’d ghosted in behind the Atletico defence to bring down a wonderful Jerome Boateng pass from deep. Not quite sure why Muller didn’t shoot himself, there. He was in a better position than Lewandowski.
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18 min: Arturo Vidal tries his luck again. His left-footed strike arrows towards the top corner, but Jan Oblak gets across to save.
16 min: A deflected cross drops kindly for Thomas Muller, who attempts to volley goalwards from some 15 yards. His efort is wayward but only this much Robert Lewandowski, who twists his body in a vain attempt to divert the ball back on course.
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15 min: Another long-range effort, this time from Gabi. He picks up a pass from Griezmann and brings a smart save out of Manuel Neuer from 30 yards.
14 min: Arturo Vidal shoots from well outside the penalty area, but his effort floats high over the cross-bar.
13min: Robert Lewandowski attempts to head the ball goalward after a wonderful cross from the right by Douglas Costa. Juanfran gets in front of him and does enough to put him off, catching with an (accidental?) forearm in the face as the big striker comes to ground.
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11 min: Bayern pass the ball amongst themselves in the space around the edge of the Atletico Madrid penalty area, but can find no way through the 11 (11!) opposition players standing between them and the goal.
10 min: Another Atletico counter, with Koke on the ball as he hares up the field. His pass inside towards Torres is cut out and Bayern go forward again.
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8 min: Atletico Madrid attack on the break after Douglas Costa is dispossessed on the edge of the penalty area. It’s lightning quick, as you’d expect, but a Gabi pass towards Antoine Griezmann goes rogue and the move breaks down.
7 min: Throw in for Atletico, just inside the Bayern Munich half. They lose possession, but a Muller pass towards Lahm is intercepted and Atletico Madrid are back in control of the ball once again.
5 min: Atletico win a free-kick wide on the left, but instead of the ball being curled into the Bayern Munich penalty area, it’s pulled back towards Gabi by Koke. His shot from distance is ambitious from well over 30 yards, but it’s straight down Neuer’s throat.
4 min: Diego Simeone is prowling his technical area, gesticulating furiously. Pep Guardiola cuts a far more relaxed figure, sitting in his dug-out, sipping from a bottle of water. That won’t last!
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3 min: Atletico get on the ball for the first time, winning a throw-in halfway inside the Bayern half. Fernando Torres is put through on goal with a neat through-ball to the edge of the six-yard box, but the flag goes up for offside. Correct decision.
2 min: It’s a lively start with Bayern’s players being given little or no time to settle on the ball as they try to overturn their deficit. Gabi blocks a Douglas Costa volley from the edge of the penalty area, cancelling out an optimistic early effort on goal.
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Bayern Munich v Atletico Madrid is GO!
1 min: Atletico Madrid’s players wear navy blue shirts, shorts and socks. Their hosts wear red all over. The ball is rolling.
Not long now ...
The teams emerge from the tunnel, with Bayern led out by Philipp Lahm and Gabi doing the honours for Atletico. They’re greeted by a giant moving collage at one end, which morphs from red and white stripes into a giant picture of the Bayern club crest. The Champions League anthem blares out over the Tannoy and we’re almost good to go.
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The players have finished their warm-ups ...
Both teams are back in their dressing rooms receiving last-minute instruction before they go out to do battle in what ought to be a fascinating contest. On the evidence of the first leg, I expect Atletico Madrid to go through, but who knows what effect a partisan Allianz Arena crowd will have on their side. They need to score against what is arguably the best defence in world football and there’s every chance one goal just won’t be enough. Kick-off is just over five minutes away.
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Some changes on both teams ...
Pep Guardiola has seen the error of his ways a week ago and recalled Thomas Muller to the Bayern line-up in place of Thiago Alcantara. Fit again Franck Ribery replaces Kingsley Coman out wide, while Jerome Boateng is in for Juan Bernat in defence. For Atletico Madrid, Diego Godin has passed a fitness test and replaces Stefan Savic, who has to be content with a spot on the bench.
Bayern Munich v Atletico Madrid line-ups
Bayern Munich: Neuer, Lahm, Boateng, Javi Martinez, Alaba, Alonso, Douglas Costa, Muller, Vidal, Ribery, Lewandowski.
Subs: Ulreich, Tasci, Thiago, Rafinha, Gotze, Coman, Kimmich.
Atletico Madrid: Oblak, Juanfran, Godin, Gimenez, Filipe Luis, Saul, Gabi, Fernandez, Koke, Fernando Torres, Griezmann.
Subs: Moya, Savic, Correa, Lucas, Carrasco, Thomas, Vietto.
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey)
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Some pre-match listening ....
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Diego Simeone's pre-match press conference
“Football is a fantastic sport and there’s a variety of ways to play it, depending on the players at your disposal,” said Diego, whose variety of ways to play the game aren’t always legal but can be stunningly effective. “Our work over the last few years is paying dividends now. We have experienced guys mixed with some new players and they are all really great to work with them. That is reflected by our results.”
The Argentinian went on to say that nothing less than qualification for the final will be satisfactory for his team. “We were sharp in the first leg and we will see how sharp we are tomorrow; and how sharp Bayern are,” he said. “ Every game is different. We want to win, that’s our plan. We want to play well and enjoy our success. But above all, what matters most is that we make the final.”
Pep Guardiola's pre-match press conference ...
“We mustn’t think about how many goals we must score,” declared Pep, emphatically not thinking about the numbers one or two. “We need think first about defending well and controlling the game. We want possession and we want goals. Atleti defend very well, but they are also going good up front. It is complicated to play a team like them. They know each other so very well. We will create chances, if perhaps not too many.”
Pep went on to point out that tonight will be his last game in the Champions League in Munich and that he has always been treated absolutely wonderfully. “It will be my last game in the Champions League here in Munich and I have always been treated absolutely wonderfully,” he said. “In Germany you play a little differently, and I tried to adapt some things. I have learned a lot here. We have achieved a lot during my time here, but it is always really difficult to make the final of this competition.”
Welcome sports fans ...
In last week’s first leg at the Vicente Calderón, a sensational individual effort from Saúl capped a splendid team performance to make it advantage Atlético Madrid ahead of tonight’s decider. Bayern Munich may only trail by a solitary goal, but they will be concerned at how few chances they were able to create against Diego Simeone’s side over 90 minutes when a solitary David Alaba strike from distance that hit the cross-bar was their only notable threat on Jan Oblak’s goal.
For the third Champions League semi-final in succession, Bayern failed to score in the away leg against Spanish opposition, having previously drawn blanks at Camp Nou and the Bernabéu. Currently on a hat-trick of last four exits against different La Liga sides, it is a curious ignominy and one the former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola will be desperate to avoid.
Simeone’s Atlético are attempting to qualify for their second final in three years and the third in their history and Bayern will have their work cut out to stop them. A defensively brilliant side, they have not conceded a goal in 602 minutes of football and have shipped just five goals in 11 Champions League matches so far this season. On the road, they have conceded three in five, keeping clean sheets on three occasions. In their only defeat away from home they lost 2-1 against Barcelona.
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