UCL: Pandev Blow Bayern In Five-Goal Drama
Inter stun Bayern to reach best eight (Foto: eurosport.com)
At one point, Sneijder put his hands on the head and the head to the ground. Pandev was blocking a shot which could have brought an earlier qualification for the Italians. At the end, the Dutch was celebrating the huge victory in the striker’s arms. Inter stunned sleeping Bayern 3-2 last night at the Allianz to reach the Champions League quarter finals.
The Nerazzuri were condemned to score at least one goal, given the 0-1 first-leg defeat to Giuseppe Meazza. Against the many expectations, Leonardo’s side managed to score three times despite being leveled at one point. Eto’o opened the score in the 3rd minute following a pretty questionable action that found the Cameroonian offside. But the goal stood and Inter were 1-1 on aggregate.
An inspirable Gomez made it 1-1 in the 21st minute. Julio Cesar’s huge mistake while trying to hold Robben’s well-placed shot from the edge of the box allowed Gomez lob the ball past the Brazilian from seven yards. Ten minutes later, Thomas Muller put the Germans into the lead following a lovely lob and a big defense mistake.
Bayern could have made it even 3 and 4-1 minutes later. Ribery’s long distance run ended with Cesar’s deflection over the bar, while Muller’s 37 minute shot crossed the line only to be cleared by Ranocchia. Frustration brought Gustavo and the home side the first yellow in the 35th minute following a clumsy challenge on Sneijder. The scoreboard showed 2-1 at the half time and 3-1 on aggregate.
Even so, Louis Van Gaal’s side would concede two goals in the second half. Sneijder made it 2-2 in the 63rd minute, the Dutch thundering a superb cross from the edge of the box and into the far corner to give the Italians one more chance. The last minutes found the Germans refusing to take any risk on attack and focus on the defensive play. On the other side, Inter were chasing their winner with Sneijder hitting Pandev in what could have been an earlier winner for Leonardo’s side to the dismay of the Dutch.
But the unexpected was yet to come. Eto’o received a long ball on the edge of the box which he finally managed to control. Striker’s individual action between two defenders ended with a smart low pass for free Pandev who astonishing shot reach the top corner of the net. For the Germans it was all about agony. 3-2 and the defending champions are through the last eight.
Said speechless Leonardo: “A very well-organized match, we found the back of the net after three minutes, but various incidents led to a lot of problems in which everything went Bayern’s way. We lost our equilibrium, we tried to take control of the game again, then we let in another goal.”
Louis Van Gaal, who will leave the Bavarians this summer, looked the more disappointed his side learned nothing from its own mistakes. Karl-heinz Rummenigge also declared that the Germans paid tribute to their naivety. Finally, Mario Gomez admitted Inter’s victory and claimed that the blame for the defeat belongs to the Germans. Conceding three goals at home left Robben speechless.
Inter earned four yellow cards through Kharja, Lucio, Motta and Pandev, while Bayern received just two through defender Breno and Luiz Gustavo. Both Leonardo and Van Gaal made three changes. The Brazilian introduced Philippe Coutinho, Nagatomo and Kharja for Stankovic, Chivu and Pandev. On the other side, Robben, van Buyten and Breno were replaced by Altintop, Kroos and Badstuber.
Bayern Munich – Kraft; Lahm, van Buyten, Breno, Pranjic; Luiz Gustavo, Schweinsteiger; Ribery, Muller, Robben; Gomez. Reserves: M. Klose, H. Butt, A. Ottl, H. Altintop, A. Timoshchuck, H. Badstuber.
Inter Milan – Julio Cesar; Maicon, Ranocchia, Lucio, Chivu; Motta, Cambiasso, Stankovic, Sneijder; Eto’o, Pandev. Reserves: I. Cordoba, M. Mariga, Y. Nagatomo, H. Kharja, L. Castellazzi, M. Materazzi, Philippe Coutinho.
Manchester United have also reached the quarter finals after defeating Olympique Marseille 2-1 on Old Trafford, thanks to Hernandez’s double.
