IT promises to be quite some semi-final – the most lethal goal machine on the face of the Earth against the greatest trophy-winning institution in Europe.
As Manchester City teed up another classic shoot-out with Real Madrid, Erling Haaland briefly showed signs of fallibility in the Allianz Arena last night.
The Norwegian skyrocketed a spot-kick, Harry Kane-style into the Gods, but recovered to bury his 48th goal of a murderous campaign.
Yet anybody who believes Pep Guardiola’s side will coast it to the Treble obviously hasn’t been watching Real very closely.
The 14-time champions of Europe, who have beaten English clubs in their last five Champions League knock-out ties, will give City one hell of a test.
Last year they staged an epic comeback – or was it an epic City collapse? – in the Bernabeu to secure a remarkable 6-5 aggregate victory.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
But that was City without Haaland – the extra dimension, the missing link, the free-scoring Norseman of the Apocalypse.
Oh and City are at home in the second leg this time, which could make all the difference.
Say what you like about the filthy money at play in the elite end of European club football but in pure sporting terms this upcoming two-legged tie promises to be an absolute treat.
Carlo Ancelotti, with four European Cups, will have been licking his lips while watching Bayern tear into City last night.
Most read in Football
HOW TO GET FREE BETS ON FOOTBALL
Guardiola is insisting on playing four specialist centre-halfs and Ancelotti will be wondering if he dares do the same against wingers Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, who snatched away glory from City last season.
Surely there will be a recall for Kyle Walker against Vincius?
That, and plenty of other intriguing questions, will be answered in May. As for last night, City showed a decent amount of steel to get past Germany’s perma-champions without any serious scare.
Bayern centre-half Dayot Upamecano has suffered a personal nightmare in this tie.
Here, he was red-carded then reprieved; he conceded a penalty only for Haaland to miss it; then he slipped and allowed the Norwegian to thump City ahead on the night, effectively sealing the deal.
After ten straight wins in all competitions, Guardiola made the unusual decision not to do anything unusual and picked the same team that stuffed Bayern 3-0 last week.
That had arguably been City’s best performance in a Champions League match and it had been more than six years since they’d lost by the four-goal margin Thomas Tuchel’s men required.
But Bayern are so used to winning that the Allianz Arena – this mighty spacecraft, with its permanent whiff of curried bratwurst – always holds a certain belief.
Tuchel recalled on-loan City full-back Joao Cancelo, farmed out after a bust-up with Guardiola in January, and he was booked after a toasting from Bernardo Silva.
After a bizarre four-minute delay to the kick-off, while ref Clement Turpin got himself miked up, Bayern were quick out of the traps, though – Kingsley Coman’s pace giving makeshift left-back Nathan Ake a few headaches.
Then when Jamal Musiala picked out a peachy pass, Leroy Sane – recovered from a dressing-room biffing from Sadio Mane at the Etihad – sped past John Stones but shot just wide of the far post.
But City soon thought they had reduced Bayern to ten men.
Kevin De Bruyne’s through-ball sent Haaland bearing down on goal and the great blond bomber checked his run, inviting the trip from Dayot Upamecano.
The French centre-half had endured a shocker in Manchester and when Turpin showed red, it looked as if the tie was done and dusted within 20 minutes of the return.
But the ref had not spotted an offside flag, which VAR upheld, so Upamecano survived.
Tuchel was booked for gobbing off and Ederson was soon turning a Sane free-kick round the post.
Then came Upamecano’s second major let-off, as Ilkay Gundogan’s curling shot deflected off the centre-back’s arm and Turpin pointed to the spot.
Haaland, who had scored all seven of his City penalties, stepped up and ballooned it.
The place went wild and Bayern continued to attack with pace and purpose, exploiting City’s makeshift full-backs, but unable to find a way past Ederson, who pushed away a Coman effort.
But 12 minutes into the second half, Bayern were undone by an extraordinary end-to-end sequence.
Coman had gone on a teasing run and shot across the face of goal, where Stones launched a long ball at Haaland.
The City centre-forward chested down for De Bruyne, who returned the favour with a cute pass which put Haaland one-on-one with his bunny Upamecano.
Naturally, Upamecano fell flat on his jacksie and Haaland leathered it past Yann Sommer, to be greeted by a hail of plastic beer tumblers.
It was Haaland’s 35th goal in 27 Champions League appearances. This is a thoroughbred competition, yet he continually makes mincemeat of it.
Mane replaced Sane without smacking him one on the way off and Guardiola sent on Aymeric Laporte for Ake, his fifth centre half of the evening.
Read More on The Sun
Bayern grabbed a consolation, and a second-leg equaliser when Josh Kimmich converted a late penalty after a Manuel Akanji handball.
Tuchel was sent off for a second yellow card but Guardiola is serenely through for a summit meeting with Ancelotti.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
