Champions League 2012/2013 » Semi-finals » Live commentary: Bayern München - FC Barcelona 4:0

Endgame Summary:
What a victory for the FC Bayern club! After a very familiar start from their opponents with quick passing and ball movement, the bavarians found their way into the game. After Müller's strik to the 1:0 lead it was a barrage of red against the spanish side. There were no doubts about who the better side were in this game and although there are some questions about both the goals scored by Gomez and Robben there will be none regarding the result. Thomas Müller was outstanding for his side with two goals and assist, the nomad forward was all over the field today and controlled the tempo well for his side. It will be interesting to see what is said of Lionel Messi who was nowhere to be seen in this match. His absence from the game did nothing but reduce the opportunities for his team and it hurt them. Barcelona will return home needing at least four goals to extend their Champions League hopes but they will be facing a Bayern side that know they are truly one of the best teams in the world at this point. The second leg will be an exciting competition just a week from now that absolutely can't be missed! Goodnight football fans!

Iniesta (FC Barcelona) is shown a yellow card
It was a decent challenge by Iniesta but he was right on Martinez's heels and deserves yellow. There's no complaint about the decision.

Three minutes left in the competition. The Bayern fans are ready to explode with joy in just a few moments.

Even with the large deficit, the germans have not stopped defending and are going to be satisfied with how well they contained one of the best offensive forces in football.

What a result for the home side! Perhaps they still had the painful memories of their last matchup in their head. There's no chance for the spaniards to change the result but any away goals at this point would help.

Dani Alves is hurting after a challenge with Bastian Schweinsteiger. It was rather dangerous for the german and he landed directly on Alves's foot. He's getting medical attention.

Bartra has to score! A ball finds him in the middle of the box only meters from Neuer's box with no defender in sight. The shot really has no chance of going in but at that position he simply has to turn, shoot and Barcelona has life again.

Goooal for Bayern München, 3:0 by Arjen Robben
What a beautiful thing from Arjen Robben! After a quick counter attack lead by Ribery he plays a pass to Schweinsteiger. Robben carries the into the box and takes on Jordi Alba who is rather violently hindered from defending further by Thomas Müller, no whistle is blown and Robben slots home a left footed strike that clashes against the left netting from less than five meters away.

Once again the away team are forced to defend a corner. Both the Bayern goals have come from the spot.

Ball possession is still favoring Vilanova's squad but the chances to actually force Manuel Neuer to work have been very scarce.

The catlans certainly see the urgency of their situation and are pushing hard to try and put a work of art together but as of now the german side have been too much for them in the defensive end.

Another chance for Bayern this time for Ribery! Robben leaves a pass for the winger opposite of him, Franck Ribery, the shifty player barely slices the ball past the right post. The hosts are deserving of their lead.

The german side are in complete control of this game and a close chance from Müller just slips by the left goal post. This has been his best performance in weeks.

A strange night for Lionel Messi to this point. No shots on goal, no passes leading to shot attempts and no shots in the penalty area. Perhaps he is still hurt from his injury against PSG?

We're back for the second half! No changes to either team.

Halftime Summary:
The home side will be happy with the first half performance. It took the bavarians a little more than 15 minutes to really insert themselves into the game but from that point on they seemed the better side. The effort from Thomas Müller on goal has, to this point, been the difference of the game and he was well supported by Arjen Robben who's played well on the wing. The Barcelona side hasn't really seen anything outstanding from their stars and Messi has yet to really insert himself into the competition. FC Bayern seem confident with their defensive capabilities against the likes of the spanish midfield and it has paid off to this point. There is, without question, always the risk that the away team will find some inspiration in the second half and with so much firepower it will be an exciting second chapter. Back for the second half!

The spaniards will see their third corner. The effort is well deflected away from a dangerous position and is the last action of the quarter. There is no extra time and the home team will be happy to see their lead preserved through the first phase.

40 minutes have been played and the Barcelona side are hearing the whistles once more, they've returned to their element and are once again passing freely around the pitch. Even though Bayern have the lead, Barcelona has 62% ball possession.

Mario Gómez (Bayern München) is shown a yellow card
A little contact from Mario Gomez on Messi as the german striker was returning to his midfield position. Deserving of a card but could have also not been called.

Bayern have inserted themselves into the game and the mood of the Allianz Arena has risen accordingly. The chances have been there for the home side and they are deserving of the lead to this point.

Huge opportunity for Messi! Pedro finds some space to launch an effort over the middle of Neuer's box that barely misses the superstar's foot. That would have surely been the equalizer.

Goooal for Bayern München, 1:0 by Thomas Müller
The fifth corner pays off for bavarian side! Franck Ribery's short played corner ends up on Robben's foot who plays the pass on to Müller. The national player returns the pass to Robben who launches a cross into the penalty area. Dante cannot finish the effort but the offensive midfielder lunges his head towards the bouncing ball, which deflects off Valdes's legs and into the goal.

A counter attacking german side gathers their fourth corner of the game. Unfortunately for Heynckes's side they haven't done well with any of them.

Phillip Lahm has inserted himself into the game, now collecting two corners for his team he's certainly not afraid of taking attacking position.

Neither keeper has had to deal with much until this point as the game has remained rather quietwith little to see from either side as far as goal scoring chances are concerned.

What a game! The tempo of both teams is truly marvelous to watch and the battle of Messi against Franck Ribery that saw the frenchman get the best of the world's best player will please fans of the german side.

Dante with a beautiful defensive stop against Messi's attempt to drive through the bavarian back line followed by solid positioning by David Alaba against Pedro. Xavi launches the club's first corner into the box but it's only guided out of bounds.

Alaba's run down the left flank draws the first corner for the bavarians but Ribery's cross can only make it towards the Barcelona wall.

And there was an effort for Arjen Robben! Javi Martinez receives a pass from the dutchman and then flicks it back to Robben's foot. The shot is well taken by Victor Valdés but Bayern are clearly awake from the start!

And we're off at the Allianz Arena!

In front of a crowd of 68000 the hungarian referee Viktor Kassai, and his assistants György Ring and Robert Kispal will be responsible of keeping the game clean and well in order.

What could be the breakthrough for the Vilanova's side is the attacking tendancies of the both Phillip Lahm and David Alaba. Both have speed and ability to make runs down the flanks, it will not be surprising to see them attempt to add support for their team but that gives Lionel Messi and his colleagues plenty of room to search for defensive gaps. It will be a battle of technique and tactic! The spanish and german cup winners are ready to stake their claim as the best club team in the world.

There is one noticeable change in the spaniard's lineup. Francisco Vilanova i Bayó is forced to adjust his strategy thanks to the injuries of Carles Puyol and Javier Mascherano, who remain sidelined with injury, and the suspended Adriano; the 21 year-old Marc Bartra Aragall will try to fill the hole in Barca's defensive side.

Speaking of Guardiola, the youngest Champions League winning coach is sure to have some torn emotions on this evening. The match sets his former club, of which he was responsible from 2008 to 2012 against the side he'll take control of in the coming season. The expectations for Guardiola will certainly be high; Jupp Heynckes is well liked by the bavarian fan base and has a chance to lead FCB back into the Champions League finals for the second year in a row, a feat that would only raise the desire for Guardiola to continue this trend of excellence.

The real action will have to wait for another hour but there are plenty of exciting storylines to touch upon leading up to the matchup of these two dominant teams. This seems to be a battle of old versus new as the german club come in as a prohibitive favorite attempting to assert themselves as the football's newest giant. Will the spaniards be able to continue their dominance that has lasted more than half a decade or is it time for the german club to wedge its stake as the sport's next hegemon.