A 1-1 draw against Bayern Munich in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal on Thursday at the Allianz Arena in Munich allowed Manchester City to advance to the final four stage of the competition due to a three-goal advantage from the first leg.
Star striker Erling Haaland continued to run riot over his opponents. He scored his 48th goal of the season in the match. City entered the semifinals with a commanding 3-0 advantage from the first leg, as Haaland’s goal in the second half all but guaranteed his team’s participation in the final four for the third consecutive season. Joshua Kimmich scored a penalty goal in the 83rd minute, but Munich was unable to continue.
The English side’s chance of securing their maiden Champions League title is very much alive. But they will have to overcome the defending champions and 14-time champions Real Madrid in the semifinal. They were knocked out by the Spanish giants in the semifinals last year.
For Bayern, their disappointing run in the Champions League continues as they bow out at the final eight stage for the third season in a row. Bayern was visibly hurt by their defeat at the Etihad last week and was determined to play valiantly. They got the game going with confidence and, fueled by the raucous environment, took it to City.
Dayot Upamecano’s red card for tripping Haaland as he broke free caused controversy at the other end, but the judgement was reversed after a flag was raised. The hosts did their utmost to prolong the penalty kick after the Bayern defender handled an Ilkay Gundogan shot in the box to give away a penalty, but Haaland sailed wide. Bayern had lost hope, but after that miss, they came out hard to complete the first half. Coman shot at Ederson, and Sane, whose earlier free-kick had been saved, missed a long-range shot. Also turned away from close range were Cancelo and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.
The German team came even closer when a Coman shot evaded Ederson’s grasp and bounced across goal, but City cleared and Haaland scored on the third attempt. As Kevin De Bruyne spearheaded a push, the Bayern defence was again exposed. After gliding past a challenge, the 22-year-old Belgian gently slid in Haaland and finished forcefully to become the youngest player to record 35 goals in the Champions League.
That eliminated any possibility of a tie, but Bayern was not yet finished. Before Kimmich scored from the penalty spot seven minutes from time after Manuel Akanji was harshly punished for handball, Mathys Tel had a goal disallowed for offside. Thomas Tuchel, the manager of Bayern Munich, had to watch the final seconds from the stands after receiving a red card for losing control of his anger.
