Bayern beat Real Madrid in seven-goal Munich thriller - Arsenal in Champions League semifinals again
Bayern Munich turned the tables on old rivals Real Madrid.
Luis Diaz 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 giants 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 with a second yellow card for an innocuous challenge on Harry Kane.
Diaz 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 of Camavinga's sending off. "It's unbelievable. You cannot send off a player for this action."
Bayern will play defending champions Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals.
Also on Wednesday, Arsenal advanced past Sporting Lisbon to set up a last-four showdown against Atletico Madrid.
BLISTERING START
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 fired the ball into the empty net from distance.
Bayern seemed unfazed and Aleksandar Pavlovic equalised with a point-blank header from a Joshua Kimmich corner in the sixth minute. Bayern maintained their dominance with Madrid patiently looking for breaks.
Konrad Laimer did well to block Kylian Mbappe, 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 Diaz going down after minimal contact from Laimer.
Bayern again seized control and it was no surprise when Harry Kane equalised 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.
Vinicius Junior then struck the crossbar before setting up Mbappe to restore Madrid's lead on the night in the 42nd.
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany was booked for complaining about a foul from Antonio Rudiger 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 TARGET 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 drop points the day before.
Bayern also face Bayer Leverkusen in the semifinals of the German Cup on April 22 as they chase a repeat of the treble they won in 2013.
A 0-0 draw with Sporting Lisbon at the Emirates Stadium saw Arsenal advance 1-0 on aggregate.
Arsenal have never won the European Cup and only once reached the final. But they are 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 have advanced to the semifinals, having lost to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain at that stage last season.
- AP







