What was paid as a battle of two European champions with five times has tilted a lot of direction.
Bayern Munich rode out after the first 31 minutes to a 4-1 lead over Barcelona, and took an upcoming edge in their Champions League quarter-final in Lisbon, Portugal.
Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski headline a star-studded matchup, but there are already other big names popping up, especially for Bayern Munich. Thomas Muller has two goals, while Serge Gnabry and Ivan Perisic have a goal for the German champions, who aim to win a first trio since 2013. Barcelona’s goal came via Bayern defender David Alaba, who cross of Jordi Alba in his own not clipped.
Barcelona, who left Antoine Griezmann on the bench in a move to a 4-4-2 formation, broke through almost in the third minute on the counterattack. Messi jumped Sergi Roberto free from the left, where he came behind Canadian rising star Alphonso Davies. Roberto’s curling cross almost found the crossbar for Luis Suarez, but the ball bounced off the post to safety Manuel Neuer.
Bayern then knocked down for the opener his next time down at the end of Barcelona. Muller and Lewandowski worked a wonderful combination at the top of the box, with Muller shooting the opener from the edge of the area just in the fourth minute at home.
That lead did not last long. Alba’s cross tried to get Suarez out was accidentally lobbed by Alaba in his own net, giving Barcelona an equalizer and making it 1-1 after seven minutes.
Barcelona advanced almost twice in the next three minutes. First, Suarez had a run behind from behind by the rising Neuer, who saved his chance at close range, before Sergio Busquets hit the post on another chance.
Messi then got a chance save in the 20th minute, with Neuer squandering his chance from close range after playing in the back of the Bayern defense.
Bayern then shot at his next chance in a game whose pace could not be maintained. After some pressure to force a Barcelona turnover, Gnabry found Perisic on the overlapping run on his left, and the Croatian beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen from a tight corner, giving him his chance inside the far post for a 2-1 in the 21st minute.
Bayern should have made it 3-1 in the 27th minute, when Lewandowski dropped a rebound after him at goal, only for Ter Stegen to save the point-blank. However, it soon became 3-1.
Leon Goretzka lobbed a pass over the top for Gnabry, who came behind Clement Lenglet and finished with poise to extend the lead to two.
Ter Stegen almost immediately made a mistake, though. He gave Lewandowski a chance to strike, only to save the desperation.
Not that it really mattered. Bayern made it 4-1 in the 31st minute through Muller’s second of the match, with his diversion from Joshua Kimmich’s pass extending the lead.
Stay tuned here for live updates and highlights of goals and key plays throughout the match (refresh for the latest updates).
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Here are the lineups for both teams:
The winner will advance to Manchester City or Lyon in the semi-finals on Wednesday, with the winner of that match reaching the final on 23 August against PSG or RB Leipzig.
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