Robert Lewandowski inspires Bayern Munich’s rout of Porto

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/apr/21/bayern-munich-porto-champions-league-match-report

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As you were, then, Pep. This was an extraordinary Champions League quarter-final second leg at the Allianz Arena. Chiefly, of course, for Bayern Munich’s magisterial passage into the semi-finals, Pep Guardiola’s team turning around a 3-1 first-leg deficit to go to half-time 5-0 up, having reduced Porto to a collection of bewildered, ill-fitting parts.

Almost as remarkable, in a perverse kind of way, was Porto’s own first-half collapse. They were abject in losing 6-1, undone by Bayern’s ruthless exposing of weakness on the flanks via classically Guardiola-ish switches of play and a bravura performance of centre-forward craft and strength from Robert Lewandowski.

“We were very bad in the first half,” Porto’s manager, Julen Lopetegui, said. He was wrong though. Porto were not quite as good as that.

Otherwise on a balmy, boisterous, slightly dreamy evening in Munich, this was perhaps a night to restore a little burnish to the fondly cherished cult of Pep. These have been interesting times for Guardiola. The exit of a long-serving club doctor, combined with a shabby performance in the first leg of this tie had combined to create, if not doubt, then a tremor of something close.

In the event, Bayern’s manager could be seen with his team 5-0 up in the second half still thrashing about on the touchline, at one stage dragging Thomas Müller off the pitch to impart some more precise piece of instruction. Somewhere in the mix Guardiola even ripped his trousers open, continuing to point and shout with seams flapping in the wind, gripped with that old familiar crazed conviction. “We can still play better,” he insisted. “We lost the ball here and there. We can improve on that. In the Champions League you cannot relax.”

Before the kick-off there was the usual rolling roar around this steeply banked plastic oval. Müller had urged caution. Fat chance. Deprived of craft on the wings in the absence of Arjen Robben, Franck Ribéry and David Alaba, Guardiola’s team still managed to overrun Porto on the flanks with almost embarrassing ease in a first half that quickly became a rout.

With 10 minutes gone the first clear chance arrived, Lewandowksi hitting the post after Müller’s shot had been palmed across goal by Fabiano.

Lopetegui erupted into a capering dance of fury on the touchline, rightly incredulous that his team could be cut open so easily. Porto were hindered by the absence of the regular full-backs Danilo and Sandro. Fatally so as Bayern, like any good Guardiola team, ganged up on a weak spot to brilliant effect.

With 14 minutes gone the first goal arrived. Juan Bernat showed lovely control to skip past Diego Reyes on the left. His cross was perfectly measured for Thiago Alcântara to drift in front of the defence and head in from five yards. It was a beautifully simple goal, well-executed and well-planned. Guardiola is said to give three separate pre-match team talks. Presumably “knock it in behind the full-backs every time” was in each one.

With 22 minutes gone Bayern squared the aggregate score with another headed goal. Philipp Lahm’s corner from the right was headed back across by Holger Badstuber and Jérôme Boateng rose highest to nod past Fabiano. The Allianz Arena was in a state of perpetual triumphant uproar by now and within five minutes Bayern had pretty much killed the tie as Lewandowski scored a beautiful third to make it 4-3 on aggregate. Lahm crossed from near the corner flag. Müller’s touch to redirect the path of the ball with his instep was sublime, gangling perfection and Lewandowski headed past Fabiano. It was a wonderful moment of craft, a goal without any particular qualities of pace or trickery, made instead by high-class touches in space.

With half an hour gone the right-back Reyes was removed from the field by Lopetegui and replaced by Ricardo. Too little too late, though, as the fourth goal arrived on 36 minutes. Müller scored it, taking a shot from 30 yards that was deflected off Martins Indi and spun in horrible slow motion past the flailing Fabiano. Four was humiliation enough but somehow the fifth was always coming. This time Lahm crossed from the right, Lewandowski took the ball under little pressure, switched feet to make space and shot low and hard into the corner.

And so Bayern left the field at the break having turned a 3-1 deficit into a 6-3 lead. Porto had collapsed, first on the flanks and then through the spine of the team, the defence unable to cope with Lewandowski’s movement and razor-edged finishing.

Porto did pull a goal back with 73 minutes gone, Jackson Martínez heading in from close range. After which they even had some chances to make Bayern sweat over the aggregate score before Iván Marcano received a straight red on 87 minutes for hacking down Thiago. Xabi Alonso popped the free-kick over the wall and into the corner to cap a night of frictionless red-shirted destruction.