The Allianz Arena is a rock-solid construction made of 22,000 tonnes of steel and 120,000 cubic metres of concrete, but the magnificent stadium to the north of Munich shook to its foundations on Tuesday. When Ivica Olic netted in injury time, making the score 2-1 to Bayern against Manchester United, the celebratory roar from the ecstatic majority in the 66,000 crowd must have been audible for miles around.
“After the draw, I said it would be a festival evening, and the team has delivered that tonight. That’s a huge result for us and for Bayern Munich football club,” said director of sport Christian Nerlinger. “It was a great game and a great result – and those are reasons to celebrate,” beamed Mark van Bommel. Coach Louis van Gaal declared himself “very proud of my players” after a victory over the English champions he described as “fully deserved” and “sweet”.
Topics of this article