What is depicted is that the battle of two five-time European champions has tilted a lot in one direction.
Bayern Munich took a 4-1 lead over Barcelona after the first 31 minutes and maintained the lead in their Champions League quarter-final match in Lisbon, Portugal.
Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski created a match full of star power, but it’s the other big names driving it, especially for Bayern Munich. Thomas Muller has two goals, while Serge Gnabry and Ivan Perisic have one for the German champions, who are aiming to win their first treble since 2013. Barcelona’s first goal comes from behind. Bayern defender David Alaba, who cut Jordi Alba̵
7;s pass to make an own goal. net. Luis Suarez increased the score to 4-2 in the 57th minute, just 6 minutes after Joshua Kimmich answered to equalize 3 goals. Lewandowski only added in humiliation in the 84th minute with one of his goals before Philippe Coutinho – on loan from Barcelona – made it 7-2 shortly after.Barcelona, where Antoine Griezmann was on the bench as he switched to a 4-4-2, almost conceded in the third minute after the counter-attack. Messi flung Sergi Roberto out to the left flank, where he followed Canadian rising star Alphonso Davies. Roberto’s cross line almost reached Suarez, but it was out of his reach, and Manuel Neuer brilliantly blocked.
Bayern then netted the opener the next time against Barcelona. Muller and Lewandowski had great synergies at the top of the box, with Muller scoring the opening goal in the fourth minute.
That lead didn’t last long. Alba’s cross that tried to get rid of Suarez was accidentally tucked into his net by Alaba, giving Barcelona an equalizer and 1-1 after seven minutes.
Barcelona almost took the lead twice over the next three minutes. At first, Suarez had a run in the back against the rushing Neuer who blocked his close-range chance, before Sergio Busquets hit the post in another shot.
Messi then had a save in the 20th minute, with Neuer blocking his chances from close after he was being played behind the Bayern defense.
Bayern then snatched up his next chance in a game where the pace could not be maintained. After some pressure forcing Barcelona to turn around, Gnabry found Perisic in an overlapping run to his left, and the Croatian beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen from a tight angle, giving him the chance. in the far corner to take a 2-1 lead in the 21st minute.
Bayern should have made it 3-1 in the 27th minute, when Lewandowski shot him up at the edge of goal, only to let Ter Stegen make a successful save. However, it soon became 3-1.
Leon Goretzka sent a pass to Gnabry, who pulled up behind Clement Lenglet and ended up ready to widen the lead to two.
Ter Stegen almost committed a self-fouling soon after as he turned around and tried to play the ball from behind. He gave Lewandowski a chance to attack, only to make a desperate save.
Not that it really matters. Bayern took the lead to 4-1 in the 31st minute via second Muller of the game, with his diversion from Joshua Kimmich’s pass widening the lead.
The second half started just like the first half had ended. Barcelona played sloppy and sporadic in the last game, while Bayern Munich maintained the pressure. Its first chance came from a ball directly down the middle from Neuer, eliminating Muller behind Barcelona’s back line. Muller turned and passed to Perisic, who took the moment immediately to Ter Stegen’s chest in the 49th minute.
Another chance came thanks to Goretzka, who pierced Barcelona’s defense to catch Kimmich’s ball from above, handling it with his chest but turned high a minute later.
Barcelona needed a life buoy, and it had a goal in the 57th minute. Messi found Alba on the left flank, who cut the ball back for Suarez. Then the Uruguayan did well to cut off Jerome Boateng – who was sure to have infamous shots against Barcelona and Messi in 2015 – and beat Neuer with a shot from inside the box to make it up. 4-2.
That life didn’t last long. Davies completely abused Nelson Semedo on the left flank, going to the bottom line and cut a cross into the center of the box where Kimmich rushed in to score the home side’s goal, giving Bayern a three-goal lead.
The only thing that didn’t happen to Bayern Munich was Lewandowski’s scoring, but the 84th minute inevitably happened. Cruelly for Barcelona, it came from a feed from Philippe Coutinho – on loan to Bayern from Barcelona – and is left on after reviewing the VAR confirmed his header came out. Lewandowski’s 54th goal in all competitions this season, 14th in the Champions League.
The ruthlessness continued, with Coutinho clinching his own two goals to make it 8-2.
Stay tuned here for live updates and highlights of goals and key developments throughout the match (refreshed for most recent updates).
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Here are the lineups of both teams:
The winner will progress to face Manchester City or Lyon in the semi-final on Wednesday, with the winner of that match going to the August 23 final against PSG or RB Leipzig.
