A weakened Bayern side proved no match at all for Barcelona’s awe-inspiring attacking power in the Champions League quarter-final first leg, the Spanish league leaders netting four times in a scintillating first half display to leave Munich requiring a footballing miracle in next week’s return.
The 96,000 capacity crowd at Camp Nou saw the visitors suffer the nightmare start they desperately hoped to avoid, the Catalan outfit racing into a two-goal lead through Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o before the quarter-hour was up.
The German champions survived relentless Barca pressure for a spell but Messi and Thierry Henry both struck in the run-up to the break, crowning the home side’s utter domination of the first 45 minutes.
Bayern set out to limit the damage in the second period, and with Barcelona aiding and abetting the Bavarians by shifting down a gear or two, the match drifted to its conclusion to leave the Spaniards more than comfortably in control of the tie.
Topics of this article