Composed and authoritative Bayern efficiently completed the job they started so convincingly in the south of France a week ago with a 2-0 home victory over Olympique Marseille on Tuesday, winning the Champions League last eight tie 4-0 on aggregate and booking a place in the semi-finals against Real Madrid or, in the event of a true footballing miracle tomorrow night, APOEL Nicosia.
The 66,000 capacity crowd at the Allianz Arena saw Ivica Olic open the scoring after 13 minutes of an entertaining first half, with the visitors pushing men up and posing no little threat at times, but leaving FCB acres of space in which to work their attacking magic. OM keeper Steve Mandanda kept the score down with a string of glorious saves and Toni Kroos hit the post, before Olic made it comfortable with the second before half-time.
With the outcome of the tie no longer in doubt, Jupp Heynckes’ side shifted down through the gears in the second half and allowed Marseille more of the ball, but the Ligue 1 side had lost any appetite for the fight and the match drifted to a close, as the home faithful celebrated a fully deserved victory.
The Bavarians’ eighth straight win in all competitions sets up a mouth-watering semi-final clash against old foes Real “at the 99 percent certainty level”, according to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. FCB return to league action in an all-Bavaria affair when Augsburg visit Munich next Saturday, followed by the titanic top-of-the-table trip to Borussia Dortmund the following Wednesday.
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