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04/15 18:06 CDT Bayern Munich beats Real Madrid 4-3 to reach Champions League
semifinals
Bayern Munich beats Real Madrid 4-3 to reach Champions League semifinals
By CIARAN FAHEY
AP Sports Writer
Bayern Munich turned the tables on old rival Real Madrid.
Luis Daz and Michael Olise scored late for the Bavarian powerhouse to beat
Madrid 4-3 and advance to the Champions League semifinals on Wednesday.
In the last four two-legged ties between the sides, the Spanish giant had
prevailed each time.
The second-leg quarterfinal game ended in acrimony with Madrid's players
furious that referee Slavko Vincic sent off substitute Eduardo Camavinga in the
86th minute for an innocuous challenge on Harry Kane --- after being urged to
show him his second yellow card by the Bayern players.
Daz fired inside the right post three minutes later and Olise ended the
contest definitively with a spectacular strike in stoppage time to give Bayern
a 6-4 win on aggregate after the Bavarian powerhouse won the first leg of their
quarterfinal 2-1 in Madrid last week.
Madrid's players surrounded Vincic after the game. Arda Guler, who scored two
brilliant goals to spark the visitors' hopes of a famed "remontada" (comeback),
was shown a red card for his vehement complaints.
"Everything was over with the red card," Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said.
"It's unbelievable. You cannot send off a player for this action. It's not fair
in a match like that, and well, we are very, very upset, very angry, but also
congratulations to Bayern Munich."
Bayern will play defending champion Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals. Also
Wednesday, Arsenal advanced past Sporting Lisbon to set up a last-four showdown
against Atltico Madrid.
Blistering start in Munich Guler opened the scoring after just 34 seconds thanks to a mistake from Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer -- who was outstanding in the first leg -- whose attempted pass went straight to the 21-year-old Turkey star, who delayed not but fired the ball into the empty net from distance. Bayern seemed unfazed and Aleksandar Pavlovic equalized with a point-blank header from a Joshua Kimmich corner in the sixth minute. Bayern maintained its dominance with Madrid patiently looking for breaks. Konrad Laimer did well to block Kylian Mbapp, who had an adhesive bandage above his right eye after getting a heavy blow to his face last weekend. Guler beat Neuer with a brilliant free kick in the 29th, but Bayern had legitimate complaints it should not have been awarded with Brahim Daz going down after minimal contact from Laimer. Bayern again seized control and it was no surprise when Harry Kane equalized in the 38th inside the right post after being left free by English compatriot Trent Alexander-Arnold. It was the England captain's 12th goal in the competition this season and his 50th across all competitions for Bayern. Vincius Jnior then struck the crossbar before setting up Mbapp to restore Madrid's lead on the night in the 42nd. Bayern coach Vincent Kompany was booked for complaining about an foul from Antonio Rdiger on Josip Stanisic in the buildup. It means he's suspended for the semifinal first leg. There were no more goals, however, until the late drama. "I hope all the kids in Germany were allowed stay awake a little longer," Kimmich said. "I hope my wife let my son stay up a bit longer and then late to school tomorrow." Bayern targets treble Bayern, which smashed the Bundesliga goals record last weekend, can clinch yet another German league title on Sunday --- the 13th in 14 years --- if Borussia Dortmund drops points the day before. Bayern also faces Bayer Leverkusen in the semifinals of the German Cup on April 22 as it chases a repeat of the treble it won in 2013. Madrid and Mbapp empty-handed again The Champions League was Madrid's best remaining chance of salvaging a trophy from a troubled season. The 15-time European champion is now facing a second year without a trophy after its fourth match without a win across all competitions. Madrid was held 1-1 at home by Girona in La Liga last weekend, allowing Barcelona to open a nine-point lead, while it was knocked out of the Spanish Cup by second-division side Albacete Balompi in January, a result that contributed to Xabi Alonso's dismissal as coach. Unless Barcelona squanders its sizable lead in the remaining seven rounds of the league, Kylian Mbapp's drought in major trophies since joining the club in 2024 will continue. Arsenal in semifinals again A 0-0 draw with Sporting Lisbon at the Emirates Stadium saw Arsenal advance 1-0 on aggregate. Arsenal has never won the European Cup and only once reached the final. But it is now just two games away from this year's showpiece in Budapest, Hungary. Kai Havertz's late winner in the first leg of the quarterfinals in Portugal last week proved to be decisive as Sporting failed to find a breakthrough in London. It is the fourth time Arsenal has advanced to the semifinals, having lost to eventual winner Paris Saint-Germain at that stage last season. ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer |
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