Sub Miroslav Klose fired an 89th-minute winner as Bayern secured a potentially priceless first leg advantage in a closely-fought Champions League Round of 16 first leg meeting with tenacious Fiorentina on Wednesday night.
The 66,000 full house at the Allianz Arena saw Munich bogged down for long periods against the disciplined and determined visitors, though the home side took the lead in a tumultuous end to the first half when Arjen Robben netted from the spot after a foul on Franck Ribery. Per Kroldrup levelled five minutes after the restart, but the Italians lost Massimo Gobbi to a straight red card with quarter of an hour remaining, and Klose netted a minute from time to hand his side a slender lead going into the second leg.
Van Gaal kept faith with the side which beat Dortmund at the weekend, taking Bayern’s winning streak to twelve in all competitions. Ribery started a Champions League match for the first time since the home meeting with Juventus last September, with young Thomas Müller again pushed forward in support of Mario Gomez up front.
Robben lined up on the opposite flank to Ribery, with Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mark van Bommel anchoring the midfield area. International-class firepower on the bench was provided by Croatia’s Ivica Olic and Germany’s Klose.
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