Bayern’s Champions League adventure ended cruelly and totally unnecessarily on Tuesday night, as Louis van Gaal’s team utterly dominated holders Inter for an hour, but were left to rue a host of missed chances and watch in dismay as the Italians clinically converted theirs. The tie ended all square at 3-3 on aggregate after the Bundesliga giants won the first leg 1-0 in Milan, but the Serie A side go through to the last eight on the away goals rule.
The 66,000 full house at the Allianz Arena saw a pulsating first period, as Samuel Eto’o opened for the visitors from a suspiciously offside position, but Mario Gomez levelled midway through the half and Thomas Müller put the home team ahead on the half-hour.
Bayern were firmly in the driving seat and had more than enough chances to kill off the visitors, but Wesley Sneijder made it 2-2 just after the hour and the balance of the tie underwent a dramatic shift. It was tense stuff as the minutes ticked down, but a moment’s hesitation in the FCB defence allowed Goran Pandev to net Inter’s crucial third and break Bayern hearts with just two minutes remaining.
The bitterly disappointing result means the men from Munich are left to focus on the bread and butter of the domestic league, and the quest for a place in next season’s Champions League, with the Bavarians next visiting surprise package Freiburg on Saturday.
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