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10 April 2014

Atletico Stun Barcelona as Rapid Fire Bayern Munich reply with 3 goals after going behind to Manchester United.






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Bayern in semis after punishing Man Utd for lapses

Bayern Munich's Arjen Robben (L) celebrates with team mates their victory against Manchester United during their Champions League quarter-final second leg soccer match in Munich, April 9, 2014. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
Bayern Munich's Arjen Robben (L) celebrates with team mates their victory against Manchester United during their Champions League quarter-final second leg soccer match in Munich, April 9, 2014. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
   
MUNICH (Reuters) - A schoolboy lapse in concentration and a bad miss by Wayne Rooney wrecked Manchester United's hopes of causing a huge Champions League upset against holders Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.
When United went ahead in the quarter-final second leg with a spectacular Patrice Evra strike after 57 minutes it seemed an improbable victory was possible but they seemed to be still celebrating when Mario Mandzukic headed the equaliser 22 seconds after the re-start.
Even then Rooney missed a gilt-edged chance but there was no way back after that as Bayern eased away to a 3-1 win with Thomas Mueller and the influential Arjen Robben both on target for the hosts who were never totally convincing.
Bayern's 4-2 aggregate win kept them on course for a second successive treble and all but put an end to Manchester United's miserable first season under David Moyes.
United are extremely unlikely to finish in the top four of the Premier League this season and winning the Champions League represented their only realistic hope of qualifying for next season's competition.
"I thought the players did a great job tonight, the only crime was conceding a goal after we scored, 30 seconds afterwards," Moyes, who has experienced a difficult time at Old Trafford since succeeding Alex Ferguson, told reporters.
"It's the sort of thing you learn as a schoolboy. We concentrated so fabulously well throughout the game, the players did their jobs, their positioning and awareness (was good), and to give up that goal at that moment was really disappointing."
Missing the suspended Bastian Schweinsteiger and Javi Martinez in midfielder, Bayern coach Pep Guardiola fielded Toni Kroos, usually a creative player, as a holding midfielder.
As in the first leg at Old Trafford that ended 1-1, Bayern totally dominated possession in the first half although they lacked fluency and struggled to create any real openings against a well-drilled United side who were always in the game.
Robben was Bayern's chief threat, getting into several promising positions after cutting inside on to his left foot in familiar fashion but his efforts were either blocked by defenders or flashed wide.
United had one opening when Rooney got clear of the Bayern defence but he dithered and failed to notice Shinji Kagawa in an unmarked position as the chance went begging.
The visitors went ahead in remarkable fashion when Antonio Valencia burst down the right and, although his cross went behind United's forwards, the lurking Evra lashed home a net-bursting effort from the edge of the area on the half-volley.
United had also taken the lead in the first leg, holding it for nine minutes, but this time they could not even keep their noses in front for a minute as Mandzukic got in front of Evra to score with a diving header after a Ribery cross from the left.
SCUFFED SHOT
That opened the game up completely and Rooney should have put United back in front but completely scuffed his shot with only Manuel Neuer to beat from 12 metres after Danny Wellbeck rolled the ball invitingly to him.
"I felt he was concerned he hadn't trained all week and had taken an injection, and I felt he had trouble striking the ball on occasions," Moyes said of Rooney who had been troubled by a sore toe in the run-up to the game.
United were not given a second chance.
Mueller put Bayern in front when he turned in another Robben
cross from close range.
Robben then ensured there would be no nervous finale for Bayern when he collected a ball on the right and danced his way across the edge of the penalty area past two defenders before squeezing in a shot with took a deflection off of Nemanja Vidic.
"I knew it would be difficult. It's not easy to play against eight players in the box and we decided to try to create a pass in the middle," said Guardiola.
"They defended the crosses well, but at the end, after 1-1 we played much better and we deserved to be in the semi-final."

Messi goes missing as Barca crash out of Europe

Barcelona's Lionel Messi reacts during his team's match against Atletico Madrid in their Champions League quarter-final second leg soccer match in Madrid, April 9, 2014. REUTERS/Juan Medina
Barcelona's Lionel Messi reacts during his team's match against Atletico Madrid in their Champions League quarter-final second leg soccer match in Madrid, April 9, 2014. REUTERS/Juan Medina
   
MADRID (Reuters) - When the dust has settled on Wednesday's shock Champions League exit at the hands of Atletico Madrid, one question that will be on the lips of many Barcelona fans is: where was Lionel Messi?
The Argentina forward and four-times World Player of the Year barely threatened the Atletico goal at the Calderon as Barca fell behind to Koke's fifth-minute volley and were unable to turn around the 2-1 aggregate scoreline.
Messi has so often shone on the biggest stage in club football but was again superbly marshalled by the Atletico players and has not scored a goal against the Madrid club in their last six meetings in all competitions.
Barca coach Gerardo Martino appeared to deploy his compatriot on the right of a three-man attack, away from his usual central position, with Cesc Fabregas roving in the middle and Neymar mainly on the left.
Messi skewed a shot high and wide in the third minute, missed with a header in the 13th and sent a low effort past the post in the 24th from Neymar's cross but faded out of the rest of the game and was unable to rescue Barca in the way he has done so many times before.
It was a strangely subdued performance and Spanish media reported the normally electric Messi had run only 6.8 kilometres during the game, only 1.5 kms more than Barca goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto.
"We wanted Messi to be in a position to take on defenders in a one-on-one from the right wing," Martino, who comes from Messi's home town of Rosario, told a news conference.
"He did not feature much in the game but he did have those two chances with the header and after great play from Neymar."
Barca's elimination means they failed in their bid for a record-extending seventh consecutive appearance in the last four of Europe's elite club competition.
However, after beating Atletico to claim the season-opening Spanish Super Cup, they still have a chance of two more titles this term.
They are a point behind Atletico in La Liga with six games left and play arch rivals Real Madrid in next Wednesday's King's Cup final in Valencia.
Martino conceded that Atletico had deserved to go through on Wednesday.
"In reality, the moments when we couldn't do what we had planned, what Barcelona normally does, are to do with the virtues of our opponent," he said.
"Their intensity, the way they defend, the number of players closing ranks near their penalty area.
"At times it is hard to find the depth. We tried in any way we could, including by making some changes, but obviously we couldn't do it."


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