fbpx

UEFA Champions League Review: Barca And Bayern Book Semi Spots

UEFA Champions League Review: Barca And Bayern Book Semi Spots

Tuesday’s second leg matches in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals saw the first two semi-finalists progress to the last four stage of the competition, with the remaining two games on Wednesday night to come before a draw on Friday determines which teams will clash in that penultimate round.

Barca Crush PSG On Aggregate

Barcelona have confirmed their spot in the semi-finals of the competition with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in Tuesday night’s second leg encounter, defeating the French side with a 5-1 aggregate.

The Catalans were simply too strong for the Parisians, who welcomed back top striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the match, following his suspension in the first game, but his influence did nothing to change PSG’s destiny.

Brazilian star Neymar was on hand to score both goals for the Spanish, as a sublime run from Andres Iniesta saw him set up the striker who rounded PSG keeper Salvatore Sirigu to score. While Iniesta rolled back the years, Neymar managed to score his second with a well-placed header to show the dominance at home that was expected from Barca.

Bayern Destroy Porto With Phenomenal Display

In Tuesday’s other quarter-final match, German powerhouse Bayern Munich reversed a 3-1 defeat that they suffered in Portugal during the first leg with a crushing 6-1 victory at the Allianz Arena.

The determination of the Germans was incredible to behold, as an early start saw Thiago Alcantara open the scoring for the Bavarians, sending the fans into fits of excitement before Jerome Boateng’s header put Bayern in control of their destiny.

Goals from Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller put the Germans 4-0 ahead, before a second from Lewandowski and a free kick from Xabi Alonso left Jackson Martinez’s 73rd minute goal for Porto as nothing more than a consolation strike. The result sends Bayern to their fourth consecutive semi-final appearance in the Champions League, showing their consistency over the last few years.

Algeria international Yacine Brahimi of Porto’s departs the competition as a result, and it is unclear if he will remain with the Portuguese next season, as interest has been shown in his services by a number of clubs, who may decide to act on the possibility of capturing his signature in the transfer window.