Bayern Munich scored four times without reply to secure a dominant first-leg lead over Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday.
The first period brought just the one goal with Thomas Muller heading Bayern into the lead after 25 minutes. It was 2-0 in the early stages of the second half, however, when Mario Gomez tapped home from another set piece.
Barcelona responded with a host of half-chances, but they were stung on the counter when Arjen Robben made it three after 73 minutes. The scoring was not finished there, however, with Muller adding his second of the night after 82 minutes to secure a comprehensive win.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two Champions League rivals.
Match statistics:
Bayern:
Shots: 13
On target: 7
Possession: 34%
Corners: 11
Fouls: 16
Barcelona:
Shots: 3
On target: 1
Possession: 66%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 10
Was the result fair?
There is not any possible situation where anything other than a comprehensive Bayern win would have reflected the match this evening. It is difficult to put into words just how good the German outfit were in Munich. Barcelona may have dominated the possession - as they so often do - but the fact that they managed just one attempt on target speaks volumes. Bar an absolute miracle, Bayern will contest the final at Wembley against either Borussia Dortmund or Real Madrid next month.
Bayern's performance
Stunning, exceptional, incredible. Those are all words that describe Bayern's display this evening. When was the last time a team utterly dominated arguably the best side of all time? From the very first moment they pressed the Barcelona midfield, with Xavi and Andres Iniesta simply unable to get into the match. From the goalkeeper to the striker, each player performed to the highest standard.
Barcelona's performance
The Catalan outfit have been beaten before and will be beaten again, but you have to wonder what damage this kind of defeat will do to their confidence. They managed just one shot on target throughout the entirety of the 90 minutes, while the 4-0 scoreline certainly did not flatter Bayern. Lionel Messi was quite clearly not fit, while Pedro and Alexis Sanchez just did not turn up. They were dominated in every area this evening.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Thomas Muller: How many important goals does the German international score? Once more he was in fine form this evening as he opened the scoring, before assisting Gomez for the second and adding his side's fourth late on. He has emerged into one of the top players in Europe in the past two seasons.
Biggest gaffe of the match
There is no question that Barcelona were at a significant height disadvantage this evening, but they did hot help themselves from set pieces. The first and second goals both came from high balls into the box, with the marking non-existent from the La Liga outfit.
Referee performance
Viktor Kassai had a difficult first period as he was called upon to make a number of big calls. However, the Hungarian rightly turned down two Bayern penalty appeals despite pressure from the home crowd. He was a spectator for a large part of the second half, but Barcelona will be unhappy with Bayern's third where Jordi Alba appeared to be blocked off by Muller in the box.
What next?
Bayern: The German outfit return to domestic duty at home to Freiburg on Saturday.
Barcelona: Barcelona also switch their focus to domestic matters when they travel to Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.
Matt Law
