Champions League LiveBlog: Bayern Munich v AC Milan

By: Bob | April 11th, 2007

Two of the four semifinal spots are filled and today we will learn who will join Manchester United and Chelsea in the Champions League final four. We’re liveblogging the full 90 minutes of the Bayern Munich-AC Milan match so come on in and leave your thoughts before, during and after the game.

Final: Bayern Munich 0-2 AC Milan

Full time The final whistle has blown and it is AC Milan who will face Manchester United in the semifinals of the Champions League. A good effort from AC Milan on the road with goals from Clarence Seedorf and Filippo Inzagi in the 27th and 31st minutes. Bayern are knocked out of the tournmanent and will be in a fight in the Bundesliga to make it back next year. Thanks for stopping by and enjoying the match with me. Feel free to leave your thoughts about the match or the Champions League semis.

90:00 Three minutes of injury time an then it is on to the semifinals.

89:03 I wouldn’t want to be the piss collector dealing with Oliver Kahn tonight. He looks pissed at his team. It isn’t that Bayern has played bad but a couple of opportune goals from AC Milan has been the difference. They deserve to go through.

88:21 Bayern free kick from straight on about 25 meters out. Milan has a huge wall. Three players over the ball. The clock continues to tick. van Bommel drills it into the wall.

87:21 Milan verus Manchester United should be a good tilt. Two traditional powers. The return of Man Yoo to Italy. Looking forward to seeing that as well as Liverpool against Chelsea. Gattuso taken out and replaced by Cafu, 120 years old and still fun to watch.

85:21 van Bommel with yet another shot and Dida knocks it out. Corner Bayern and it is punched away by Dida. van Bommel is the only one causing Milan problems tonight.

83:04 A brief reminder that Kahn is playing in this game. It has been all on Dida’s end this half. The Brazilian keeper has done a nice job withstanding the pressure.

81:33 Wow, Gourcuff is a stud with the ball. He took it to the corner and played keep away with a lot of poise for a 20 year old. He is going to be fun to watch in the future.

80:00 Ten minutes to go and Bayern’s chances looking slimmer and slimmer. Milan sub is Seedorf out and Gourcuff on. Another shot on goal and Dida with the save.

78:32 Bayern pushing all their players forward and Dida goes to the turf following a soft shot. Sir Alex is in the stands watching his next opponent.

76:38 Free kick for Bayern Munich. First Lell is taken off and Andreas Gorlitz comes on. The free kick is straigt on from about 32 meters. Three Bayern players over the ball and it is soared over the bar by Hargreaves.

76:09 The action is almost entirely in the Milan defensive end but they have not wilted. Couter attack with Sergingho unable to find Kaka. Lots of room if they can attack the Bayern backline.

74:12 Bayern players a little frustrated with van Bommel holding the ball too long and spraying passes around. The guy who needs to step up in Podolski who has been a non factor tonight.

72:23 For a two goal game this one still has some drama. Bayern looking for a late comeback and Milan doing their best to hang on under intense pressure.

70:54 Gatusso could star in a prison movie. He looks mean as hell. van Bommel with another shot. He has showed up tonight but just hasn’t been able to crack through.

70:00 Milan substitution. The Bayern killer Filippo Inzaghi is coming off and in his place is Serginho. Inzaghi covered 8,000 meters and about 7,000 of them were in the offside position.

67:59 Bayern Munich playing in the Milan box. They are frantically searching for a goal but can’t crack the Milan defense. The level of intensity has picked up Munich showing some heart. Corner from van Bommel is cleared away and Lucio is pisssssed about something.

66:47 Not withstanding the weird yellow card on Salihamidžić the referee has done a nice job in this match. Bayern attacking again with Salihamidžić taking a shot that Podolski can’t get his foot on.

65:00 Kaka with a beautiful move to get free in the box and Kahn stones him. That was a joy to watch. An individual effort by Kaka and great keeping from the ugly one.

63:03 Nesta takes down Salihamidžić and then elbows him on the ground and it is Salihamidžić who gets the yellow card. Hard to figure.

62:45 Makaay covered 6,000 meters. Anyone know how they measure that? Shot by van Bommel and Dida with a big save. A couple of opportunities for Bayern.

61:01 Claudio Pizarro on for Roy Makaay who showed very little tonight.

60:00 15 minutes into the second half and it remains a 2 goal lead for AC Milan. Bayern is showing some heart with their attack but that is only going to get them so far. Milan might be able to take advantage of the holes in the back if they aren’t careful. For interest’s sake, a goal by Bayern would help.

58:05 Podolski (is he still even playing?) with a nice ball to Makaay but he has a hard time realizing that heading away from the goal is not a wise thing and it is cleared without harm.

56:49 When Roque Santa Cruz and Kaka are next to one another it hurts to see so much beauty concentrated in one spot. Shot by van Bommel that doesn’t miss by much.

55:23 Oddo forced to clear one away in the box. He miss hits it but got away with the mistake. You get the sense that Bayern will only score on a mistake.

53:35 Bayern pushing their defense way forward. They are in trouble if they are counting on Lucio to be a playmaker.

52:39 Bayern manager Ottmar Hitzfeld on the sideline barking orders and looking like he hasn’t slept in six years. This will be a tough loss for a club that might not qualify for the Champions League next year.

51:25 Bayern trying to attack but finding a lot of white shirts behind the ball. This is what we will probably see for most of this half.

49:07 Starting to get a little chippy out there. Hargreaves called for a foul and proceeds to whine about it. Overall both teams have played fairly clean. Little diving or rough play.

47:46 Haven’t seen much of Van Buyten tonight. He scored twice in the first leg but has spent most of tonight being beaten by Inzaghi.

46:23 van Bommel gets a yellow for elbowing Ambrosini. A deserved card. He will sit out next match if Bayern advances.

46:02 Roque Santa Cruz in for Bayern. Andreas Ottl gets an early shower as Bayern looking for more on the attack.

45:01 We’re back for the start of the second half with Milan ahead by two goals. Bayern actually had the better of the play for the first 25 minutes but two quick goals lifted Milan and has made it an uphill battle for the home team. A goal by Bayern early in the second half could add to the drama. Will we see it? We shall find out.

Halftime We are finished with the first 45 minutes in Munich and it is the away team that has the advantage. Goals by Clarence Seedorf and Filippo Inzaghi four minutes apart have put Milan up 4-2 on aggregate. Does Bayern have the ability to come back in the second half? We shall see. I will be back right before the start of the second half. Your thoughts thus far?

44:07 Inzaghi kind of looks like a moose. His body parts move all over the place when he runs. His record speaks for itself though. The guy is a big game goal scorer.

42:10 Bayern offering more of an attack but you get the sense that if they do score it will be a goal that will be ugly. Podolski has the ability but can he raise his game in the second half?

40:00 Bayern players warming up on the side. They might need some attack off the bench. Lell wins a free kick against Pirlo and Munich with a free kick just outside the corner of the box. van Bommel takes it and the scrum in the middle yields nothing.

37:47 It seems like this has been a round for teams to fall apart. PSV, Roma and now Bayern Munich. Still plenty of timee but they need to get it going against a Milan defense that is more organized now that they are in the lead.

36:59 Dida with a long kick that almost gets onto the foot of Inzaghi. Bayern has no answer for Inzaghi. He just keeps on breaking free.

35:38 Lucio with a bit of flair clears the ball. Bayern’s best play has come from the left side. Hey, we have a Beckenbauer sighting. He looks great even though he is probably sick to his stomach.

33:33 Hard to believe that both these sides which are traditionally so solid in the back have given up this many away goals. To their credit the Munich fans continue to sing but this might be the last time they sing in the Champions League this year.

32:56 Two goals in four minutes for AC Milan and they are looking better than ever. I don’t think this Bayern team has the ability to come back from two down against the Milan defense.

30:57 GOALLLLLLL! Filippo Inzaghi stays onside and beats the Bayern defense for a goal. Wow.

30:12 Bayern used to playing from behind against Milan. They came back twice in the first leg but they are also used to losing to Milan.

29:20 Milan moves it around and Inzaghi gets a header that is over the bar. They look hungry for another one and Bayern look a bit stunned by the goal.

28:12 Seedorf had lots of room to operate and he calmly turned and beat Kahn with a shot on the ground in the corner. That makes things interesting. Will AC Milan take the air out of the ball now?

27:00 GOAAAALLL! Clarence Seedorf blasts home a goal from just at the top of the box to give Milan the lead. great shot

26:14 Makaay makes a run but can’t get his foot on a cross Lahm. He had the defender beat but unable to get there.

24:03 Bayern rolling it around and Milan behind the ball. Bayern with the better run of play thus far but both side have had their chances.

22:49 Lahm with a run down the side. He is such a tricky little player. Doesn’t look like much but he is always effective. Corner by Munich is cleared away.

21:32 Inzaghi called offside twice. We should get him to sponsor this site. He spends most of his working days in an offside position.

20:32 Inzaghi with a weak header off a cross and Kahn gobbles it up without a worry.

19:56 The winner tonight plays Manchester United who tore a new a*shole in Roma yesterday. Milan has done poorly by their standards in Serie A but they are Italy’s only hope at CL glory this year.

18:02 Still scoreless with Bayern having the better run so far. Milan’s attack is bogging down near the box. Their best shot might be on the counter attack with Kaka using his speed.

16:23 Kaka showing his wheels. He has such excellent pace. He is a bit out on an island alone but causing problems for the Bayern defense.

14:49 I will miss Oliver Kahn when he retires. Fortunately he will always be with me in my nightmares.

14:01 Pirlo with a blatant hand ball in front of the referee but it is called play on. Very few whistles thus far as both teams are playing a clean game.

12:50 Ottl with a shot that skews wide. This game is much more wide open than I would have expected. It is almost as if both teams know that the first goal might be the only goal.

11:45 Podolski with a blast of a shot that forces Dida into a save. Best opportunity thus far. Nice attacking play from Bayern.

11:09 Pirlo with a fancy backheel that goes to no one. The Bayern defense is dodgy. They have been throughout this competition.

9:57 Makaay on the other end with plenty of room but he shanks it. You and I could have done just as well and we aren’t paid to do it.

9:43 I always enjoy watching Pirlo play. He is like a little general on the field. Pippo breaks through but couldn’t control the ball in front of Kahn.

7:12 Oddo forced to clear the ball away at the line after a beautiful cross to Lell. Oddo to the rescue. Milan were beaten.

6:29 Bayern corner is cleared away and Milan look to counter. It is shut down before the camera even pans on Kahn. Nice start thus far. End to end action.

5:37 Milan with a bit of pressure. Kaka tries a little heel kick and Bayern turn it the other way. Makaay wins a corner against Nesta.

4:43 Good tempo so far with Bayern showing some signs of wanting to attack. They would love an early goal and then to clamp it down in front of the home crowd.

3:49 Ottl with a shot that is well off target. Dida doesn’t even sweat it.

3:20 First of what will be many references to Hargreaves being a Canadian Englishman.

2:00 Gattuso with a hard foul on van Bommel. How does Gattuso manage that permanent five o’clock shadow?

:51 Flashbacks to the World Cup with the Brazilians Lucio and Kaka. Lucio set the tournament record for most minutes without a foul. He is vulnerable tonight. He is coming off an injury.

:12 The 66,000 Bayern fans are singing in full voice. The cameras are flashing and Milan gets a weak shot from Pippo.

Kickoff We’re underway from Munich in this Champions League quarterfinal match. Thanks for joining me. Your comments are appreciated. Keep them somewhat clean, have fun and enjoy some exciting midweek football.

2 minutes to go: I have on my special anti-Oliver Kahn glasses that allow me to look at the Bayern keeper without my customary screaming. Will he play a role in tonight’s game? He probably will. Milan will have to attack and if the Bayern defense plays like it did the first leg they will have their chances. The Champions League anthem has me fired up and ready to go. Milan in their white kits. Munich in their maroon kits. Podolski appearing to be sporting a boner. Can’t say I blame him. I am excited too.

5 minutes to go: Munich are undefeated in eight matches at their spiffy stadium. They will have the crowd on their side tonight, but those injuries are sure going to make it tough. Both these teams have struggled a bit in their domestic leagues so their seasons might just ride on tonight’s game. The referee this evening is from Spain and let’s hope he plays no role in the outcome.

10 minutes to go: It is nice to be back enjoying midweek footie. It killed me to not be able to see yesterday’s matches live. Today’s game could be uber dramatic. Bayern has two away goals to play with and could be content to pack it in against a Milan attack that features Pippo Inzaghi as a lone striker with Kaka in an attacking mid role. AC Milan has won the European Cup six times. Bayern Munich has captured it four times. Bayern has only one once in nine times against AC Milan. Kaka is the competition’s leading scorer this year with seven goals.

Pregame Two traditional powers clashing in a tilt that is all tied up with the winner going on to face Manchester United in the Champions League semifinals. It doesn’t get much better than this. Bayern Munich hosts AC Milan in the second leg of the Champions League after the two finished tied 2-2 last week in Milan. Both teams are missing key players with AC Milan without suspended Alberto Gilardino and cup-tied Ronaldo. Bayern will be without Mehmet Scholl, Willy Sagnol and Bastian Schwinsteiger. Your prediction?

Teams
Bayern: Oliver Kahn; Hasan Salihamidžić, Lucio, Daniel Van Buyten, Philipp Lahm; Owen Hargreaves, Mark van Bommel, Andreas Ottl, Christian Lell, Roy Makaay, Lukas Podolski.

Milan: Dida; Massimo Oddo, Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta, Marek Jankulovski; Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Massimo Ambrosini, Clarence Seedorf; Kaká; Filippo Inzaghi.