Bayern Munich and Atlético Madrid join Chelsea and Real Madrid to make up the top 4 teams in Europe this season. Atlético Madrid downed the Catalans with a 1-0 win in Madrid, a match which belied the scorelines and Bayern run riot in Germany with a 3-1 win over United.
Atlético Madrid finally beat Barcelona with a 1-0 scoreline. But don’t let it fool you, the game was played at electric pace as both teams looked to press and pressure the other team in possession. But it was Atlético which struck early with a goal from Koke in the 5th minute. It was almost too easy for Atlético as they could have been up by 2 or 3 goals in the first ten minutes had it not been for the frame of the goal. But Barca managed to hold on to eventually end the half at 1-0.
Koke scored a vital goal
The second half saw Barca come out with more authority on the game. With the likes of Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Neymar and Lionel Messi finding their feet in the game. It was all in vain as Atlético held on and looked to hit Barca on the counter with goalkeeper Jose Pinto pulling off some vital saves to keep Barcelona in the hunt. Eventually, Atlético Madrid were declared match winners with an emphatic roar from the fans as the referee blew for full time.
We now head to Germany where we witness a rampant Bayern side win 3-1 against United. The match started quite slowly, with Bayern doing what they do best and dominate possession. But Manchester United held strong defensively and cleared their lines. United fielding an injured Wayne Rooney was a gamble as the England man was clearly not on top of his game as he missed a golden opportunity in the first half. The half ended with the scoreline at 0-0. Bayern looked content with the way things were going as they knew if it stayed 0-0 at full time, they would go through by the away goals rule.
The second half was a stark contrast to the first. Both teams looked to attack and this led to both teams looking fragile at the back. United struck first with Patrice Evra finding the back of the net with a thunderbolt into the top corner and got the English champions the much needed away goal. This was met with thunderous celebrations from the United away fans. But it was short lived. The joyous feeling lasted for merely twenty two seconds.
That is right, it took Bayern twenty two seconds to equalize through Mario Mandzukic who got on the end of cross from the left hand side. And what followed, was complete and absolute dominance. They kept the ball for very long periods of time, were not flustered in defense and they kept attacking the United back line at every single given opportunity!
Bayern’s Super Mario
Bayern finally hit home a second with Robben shredding the right wing and cutting in a grounded cross to a certain Thomas Muller to tap it past the helpless David de Gea. United tried to go on the offensive by throwing Javier Hernandez and Adnan Januzaj into the fray, but to no avail. In fact, it hardly mattered at all. Bayern were in complete control and just to make it absolutely sure, Robben stepped up and hit home a third with a jinking run, skipping past the whole of the United back line to finally slip in a shot past de Gea.
So there you have it. Champions League Quarter Finals done and dusted. The draw for the Semi Finals will be held on Friday. Tune in to find out who plays who on Friday.
