Slip, Slip, Saved, Crossbar! Four words are enough to describe Bayerna s dramatic loss to Dortmund on Tuesday night. The Bavarians lost 2-0 on penalties(1-1 Normal Time) to Dortmund in a dramatic penalty shootout where Bayern missed all the four penalties. Bayern captain Philipp Lahm slipped while taking his first penalty as his shot flew over the bar and Ilkay Gundogan smashed Dortmunda s penalty into the top corner. Xabi Alonso was the second to slip as Bayerna s second penalty also flew over the goalpost while Sebastian Kehl buried his shot for Dortmund. After two of the experienced heads in his team slipped, Mario Gotze took the third shot but Mitch Langerak jumped the right way and saved, leaving Dortmund just one shot away from entering the final in Berlin. Mats Hummels’ low shot was kept out by Manuel Neuer who took the next penalty himself but hit the crossbar prompting wild celebrations in the Dortmund camp.
Bayern entered into the match as favorites and played by imposing themselves on Dortmund for the first 45 minutes. Dortmunda s pressing was subdued by Bayerna s midfield as Bayern often played the ball backwards into their own half. Robert Lewandowski once again played the villain for Dortmund as the Pole collected Jerome Boatenga s long pass on the left wing and raced past the visitors’ defence to hit the woodwork with a chip over onrushing Langerak. But the striker reacted quickly to collect the rebound and finish through the legs of the helpless goalkeeper. Second half started with Bayern establishing their usual dominance on the ball but failing to create any chances in the final third. Jurgen Klopp made a vital change by replacing the ineffective Shinji Kagawa with Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the 70th minute as the substitutea s impact showed five minutes later. Mkhitaryan clipped the ball across the goal for Aubameyang to angle a shot goalwards. Manuel Neuer tried to keep the ball out but the referee awarded the goal as the ball had crossed the line. Guardiola was then forced to replace Robben with Mario Gotze within minutes after introduction as the Dutchman was involved in a hard tackle and seemed to have picked up a knock in the process. Dortmund then drew two brilliant saves from Neuer in the final minutes of normal time as the scores stayed even.
Both teams went in hard at each other in the extra time as tackles flew all over the pitch resulting in a flurry of yellow cards for Dortmunda s players. In the 108th minute, Kevin Kampl brought down Schweinsteiger earning a second yellow card offence which reduced the visitors to ten men. Bayern went close in the dying minutes, but Schweinsteigera s close range header was kept out by Langeraka s outstretched leg. Bayern tried desperately in the final seconds, but their numerical advantage counted for nothing leaving the match to be decided on penalties.
Guardiola Plays Into Kloppa s Hands To Lose The Mother Of Klassikers
People called the Bundesliga boring, they called it a one-horse race, they even questioned the importance of Der Klassiker with Dortmund losing their ground in the Bundesliga and Bayern looking stronger than ever. But Tuesdaya s Pokal Semifinal made everybody turn their heads towards Munich proving nothing is decided until the final second when it is Bayern vs Dortmund. The match was equally important for two great coaches, one eyeing his careera s second treble on a foreign land and the other looking to bow out on a high before embarking on a new adventure. Klopp made the most impactful substitution of the evening when he introduced Mkhitaryan in the place of Shinji Kagawa with just a quarter of an hour left in the normal time. At the other end, Pep Guardiola made a costly mistake by replacing Thiago Alcantara with Arjen Robben in the 68th minute. Pepa s plan backfired when the Dutchman seemed to have injured himself in the 84th minute and had to be rushed down the tunnel. If the test results come out bad, then their talisman could well be sidelined for the rest of the season which puts their Champions League hopes in serious danger. Guardiola could have sent in Sebastian Rode instead of rushing Robben into early action. The Catalana s antics by the sideline during extra time summed up the night for Bayern as their coacha s frustrations reflected in their penalty shootout. Guardiola lost his cool, so did his team playing it right into Dortmund’s hands.
Bayern Must Move On From The Penalty Shootout Nightmare Before Facing Barcelona
While Bayerna s players fluffed their lines leaving the Allianz Arena crowd dumbstruck, their next Champions League opponents Barcelona entertained their home fans in a goal fest against Getafe. While Lewandowski walked around the pitch rubbing his forehead, while Robben was being rushed down the tunnel, while Mario Gotze missed his mark in the penalty shootout, Barcelonaa s attacking triumvirate of Messi, Neymar and Suarez were celebrating their 100th goal as a trio at Camp Nou. It was not like the Champions League final defeat for Bayern at home against Chelsea where the game was decided by the fifth and final penalty. Although the slipping of Alonso and Lahm can be attributed as bad luck, Gotze and Neuera s misses proved that Bayern lost the battle mentally. Even though they lost this match in such a humiliating fashion, fansa expectations will not be lowered when they meet Barcelona in the Champions League Semifinals. They will have to put Tuesdaya s bitter defeat behind them, if they are to meet those expectations. They have lost previously and in a much more excruciating manner, but they managed to bounce back. The 2013 treble winning campaign after falling at every final step in 2012, replying Dortmund with back-to-back domestic titles after losing out 2011 and 2012 campaigns, the recent fightback against FC Porto where they turned around a two goal deficit into a three goal advantage inside 45 minutes should provide them enough motivation to face Barcelona.
