Manchester City cruised into the Champions League semi-finals after a 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich on Wednesday secured a 4-1 mixture win that moved them a step nearer to an elusive first title within the competitors.
City ahead Erling Haaland, who had missed a first-half penalty, made amends within the 57th minute, drilling in his forty eighth objective in all competitions this season to kill off the tie earlier than Bayern levelled with a Joshua Kimmich penalty within the 83rd.
It was City’s fifteenth consecutive recreation with out defeat throughout all competitions and Pep Guardiola’s group, dropping finalists in 2021, will subsequent face holders Real Madrid within the final 4.
Record for Guardiola
It was additionally the tenth time Guardiola had reached the semi-finals as a coach, a brand new file.
“I am so happy to be three in a row semi-finals (with City),” Guardiola mentioned. “I could not expect (Bayern) differently, you saw how good they are.”
“In this competition it is the details. In these two games in the right moments we were there,” mentioned Guardiola, who coached Bayern from 2013-16.
“In the second half we adjusted some things and since minute one in the second half we felt were much, much more in control.”
Bayern all the time had a mountain to climb after losing 3-0 in the first leg, however received off to a robust begin.
Kingsley Coman was a continuing supply of hazard on the wing, holding City defenders busy, and the hosts’ largest probability got here within the seventeenth minute when Leroy Sane latched on to a Jamal Musiala go however dragged his shot extensive with solely keeper Ederson to beat.
The Bavarians, knocked out of the German Cup two weeks in the past following coach Thomas Tuchel’s arrival, caught a break a minute later when defender Dayot Upamecano was initially despatched off after receiving a straight pink card for a last-man foul on Haaland.
A VAR evaluation, nevertheless, confirmed the striker was offside and the Bayern defender’s dismissal was overturned.
Haaland misses, then scores
Upamecano, who had been closely criticised for his mistake that led to City’s second objective within the first leg, was much less lucky just a little later when he was penalised for a handball. Haaland despatched his penalty excessive over the bar, a uncommon miss for the Norwegian striker this season, however he did a lot better after the restart.
After combining effectively with Kevin De Bruyne, Haaland shook off the embattled Upamecano, earlier than beating keeper Yann Sommer, setting a brand new file having taken simply 27 matches to achieve 35 objectives in Europe’s premier membership competitors.
City’s objective was the primary Bayern conceded at dwelling in the complete competitors this season and the hosts, who’ve solely the Bundesliga title left to play for, received an equaliser when Kimmich transformed a spot kick.
“It is really annoying that we didn’t take the lead with all the chances that we had,” Kimmich mentioned. I might have preferred to see how this match had gone if we had made it 1-0 within the first half.”
Their frustrating evening was completed when Tuchel was sent off after a second booking in the 86th minute.
Inter see off Benfica to arrange Milan showdown
Inter drew 3-3 with Benfica on Wednesday to win their Champions League quarter-final 5-3 on mixture and can face metropolis rivals AC Milan for the fitting to be the primary Italian group to achieve the ultimate for six years.
It shall be Inter’s first semi-final look since they received the European Cup for the third time in 2010, the final Italian Champions League triumph with Juventus dropping the 2015 and 2017 finals.
“It will be a special derby,” Inter striker Lautaro Martinez, who ended his 10-game scoring drought by scoring his group’s second objective in opposition to Benfica, instructed Amazon Prime Video.
“We all know what this recreation means, to play a Milan derby within the Champions League semi-finals.