Erling Haaland scored for Manchester City to advance to a Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid with a 1-1 draw against Bayern Munich in the second leg of their quarter-final on Wednesday.
The Norway forward missed a first-half penalty but atoned by sealing City’s progress with a 4-1 win on aggregate by scoring the opening goal on a counterattack in the 57th minute, just after Bayern missed a good chance at the other end.
Bayern’s lack of confidence after losing the first leg 3-0 in Manchester showed as it failed to take advantage of numerous chances.
Joshua Kimmich scored the Bavarian powerhouse’s consolation from the penalty spot in the 83rd after City defender Manuel Akanji was penalized through VAR for handball.
Bayern counterpart Dayot Upamecano was also penalized for handball when lkay Gundoan’s cross grazed the bottom of his arm in the 35th, but Haaland blasted that spot kick just over the bar.
Kevin De Bruyne played Haaland through to settle it early in the second half, when the unfortunate Upamecano slipped as he tried to recover.
City did little in manager Pep Guardiola’s return to the club he led to three consecutive Bundesliga titles between 2014-16, but the visitors didn’t need to thanks to their commanding lead from the first leg and Bayern’s lack of efficiency.
It is Bayern’s third consecutive quarter-final exit since winning the tournament in 2020 and the second competition it has been knocked out of in as many weeks after Freiburg’s win over Bayern in the German Cup quarter-finals.
City is bidding to win the Champions League for the first time. It would be Guardiola’s first since winning as Barcelona coach in 2011. City will play Madrid, the defending champion, away for the first leg of their semi-final in May.
Inter sees off Benfica to set up Milan showdown
MILAN Inter drew 3-3 with Benfica on Wednesday to win their Champions League quarter-final 5-3 on aggregate and will face city rivals AC Milan for the right to be the first Italian team to reach the final for six years.
It will be Inter’s first semi-final appearance since they won the European Cup for the third time in 2010, the last Italian Champions League triumph with Juventus losing the 2015 and 2017 finals.
“It will be a special derby,” Inter striker Lautaro Martinez, who ended his 10-game scoring drought by scoring his team’s second goal against Benfica, told Amazon Prime Video.
“We all know what this game means, to play a Milan derby in the Champions League semi-finals. Happiness is the word, I’m so proud to represent this crest and this great club which is back to where it belongs.”
The Milan teams have met twice in the Champions League knockout stages, the 2002-03 semis and 2004-05 quarter-finals with AC Milan, seven-times European champions, winning both ties.
They will clash at the San Siro in the first leg on May 10 and on May 16 in the second leg. The winners will face Real Madrid or Manchester City, who meet in the semi-finals for the second consecutive season.