Something as trivial as a deep and painful gash was never going to stop Ivica Olic on this particular evening. Blood was dripping from a wound to the back of his head, but the Croat still attacked Philipp Lahm’s 78th-minute cross and headed the ball back across Lyon keeper Hugo Lloris and into the net. Bayern went 3-0 up, all of them scored by Olic in arguably the best game of his career.
“I didn’t want to be substituted, because I had the feeling I could score another couple,” the match-winner stated afterwards, revealing what was said in a touchline exchange between him, Bayern chief medic Dr Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt and boss Louis van Gaal. Olic already had two goals to his name at that point, a 26th-minute right-footed shot on the turn after great work by Thomas Müller, and a left-footed effort on 67 minutes from a sublime Hamit Altintop pass. Bayern were as good as home and dry, but Olic wanted more.
Topics of this article