Two Goal Comeback Sees Inter Through, Bayern Out Of Champions League

In the 30th minute, Thomas Müller made it 3-1, chipping the ball over an oncoming César, beating the Inter `keeper after he had been put in behind the Nerazzurri defense.

It was a relatively similar set-up that led to Pandev’s winner. Inter, having played seven minutes of desperate football, worked the play from their left flank toward the middle. There, Samuel Eto’o as given the ball, eventually laying-off into the space to the right of goal. Goran Pandev came into the ball, opening up his left foot to the shot. The ball was perfectly placed high and to his left, beating Kraft for what would be the tie-wining goal.

The result has left the Allianz Arena and the home side shocked. For most of the match, Bayern played with a two goal lead. For only the last seven minutes, Inter was in a position to go through, but when the final whistle blew, almost every player on the pitch for the Bavarians collapsed on to their back and brought their hands to their head, eliminated for the second consecutive season by Inter Milan; this year, three steps before the final.

The defeat was so harsh that match’s end saw a number of Inter players consoling their counterparts after their team’s initial celebrations. The fans, after 10 minutes looking on in shock, slowly started leaving the Allianz, their side shockingly put out of Champions League.

The 80th minute sees Inter Milan approaching desperation, needing a goal to keep their Champions League alive. Whereas most of the match as seen Inter start to pressure as Bayern as brought to ball close to the center circle, the Nerazzurri is pressuring all the way up the pitch. After a few minutes of troubling Bayern this way, the home side has started to adjust, sit deeper, and create the dynamic we almost always see at the end of one goal matches: All-out attack versus all-out defense.

After a couple of Inter forays down their left were broken up at the edge of the attacking third, Bayern was able to break out and establish possession in the Inter half, wasting two minutes of time while the Nerazzurri collapsed in defense, set-up, and then tried to win the ball. Once the did, the holders broke into the Bayern end but quickly gave the ball away when a diagonal pass from the right was over-hit in trying to connect to Wesley Sneijder.

The chance came on a ball played behind the defense to the left of goal, with a hard-working Franck Ribéry saving the ball. The winger chipped a ball back toward the middle, over Thomas Müller, to Mario Gómez at the edge of the penalty area. The striker got his knee above a ball just under knee-high, putting a bullet straight at César. The `keeper’s punch kept Milan within two.

Since, Inter has been unable to build any positive momentum, with Lucio drawing a yellow card after he took down a Bayern player in midfield, preventing a break-out. As the hour approaches in Munich, the score remains 3-1, Bayern.

Soon Bayern is back on the ball, working it down their left flank. Danijel Pranjic is able to play a ball for Franck Ribery, cutting in from the wing. From 25-yards out, Ribery is able to threat a ball through the channel to the right of Andrea Ranocchis, though the ball is a little too heavy for Mario Gómez to retrieve before Júlio César can swallow it up.

Now in the 49th minute, Inter is still chasing two goals.

The scoreline is no less than the Germans deserve, having gone close toward half-time through Frank Ribéry and Müller. Saves by César and Ranocchia have given Nerazzurri supporters hope of resuscitation, though with little to recommend the holders for a halftime comeback, we may be looking at the last 45 minutes of Italy’s European campaign.

On the other bench, Louis van Gaal has various ways he can sure-up his defense. Holger Badstuber was a surprise omission from the starting XI, while Anatoliy Tymoschuk could help in central defense or midfield.

Bayern Munich supporters will hope Franck Ribéry’s missed chance in the 35th minute doesn’t come back to haunt them. Up two goals and at home, the squandered opportunity probably won’t, but given 30 yards to create a chance against Júlio César, a player of Ribéry’s caliber should have done better. Instead, he allowed the `keeper to close the distance and make the save, deflecting Ribéry’s shot from 14 yard over goal.

The missed chance may have alerted Inter to just how close they are to the brink, as the Nerazzurri have held more of the ball since the near goal. Now approaching the 40-minute mark, the score is 2-1, Bayern (3-1, on aggregate).

Mario Gomez has put Bayern Munich back into the lead against Inter Milan, thanks to a great finish by Mario Gomez. Unfortunately, Gomez had his fantastic finish assisted by Julio Cesar. The Inter Milan goalkeeper completely whiffed on an Arjen Robben shot, letting it bounce off of his chest to Gomez. The striker turned and flipped the ball over Cesar, and it found the back of the net. It’s hard to decide what was more amazing, the Gomez finish or the Cesar error. Here’s the video of the goal:

It’s a pretty incredible error, especially considering that Julio Cesar was widely considered to be the best goalkeeper in the world as recently as last season. He was one of the biggest reasons that Inter were able to capture a historic treble, and his dip in form has been somewhat concerning. Still, there’s nothing to take away from Gomez. His finish was absolutely fantastic.

With 120 of 180 minutes played, Bayern is up 3-1, now having one foot in the quarterfinals.

Samuel Eto’o got Inter Milan off to a great start in their UEFA Champions League Round of 16, second leg match against Bayern Munich with this third minute goal, which was thanks to some seriously suspect defending by the Bavarians. Eto’o timed his run into the box perfectly, narrowly avoiding an offside call, and Goran Pandev’s through ball was quality, but Inter still shouldn’t have been allowed to score so easily, and so early in the game. Check out the video here:

Bayern Munich have since scored another goal through Mario Gomez, bringing Bayern back into a favorable position, but that doesn’t mean Eto’o’s goal won’t come back to haunt them. Another goal would see Inter through on away goals with a 2-2 aggregate score. Based on Bayern’s defensive selection, it wouldn’t exactly be stunning to see more goals from the visitors. It’s hard to believe the scoring is over at 1-1.

The result is a match that can generously be called pensive, if you want to personify it. Bayern is trying to discern a means of breaking down Inter while protecting themselves against the holders’ counters. As a result, we’re even after 18 minutes, with Samuel Eto’o giving Inter a 1-0 lead on the day.

At the back, Lucio has made the starting XI, having been a fitness doubt. He’ll start along side Andrea Ranocchia in central defense, with Maicon and Cristian Chivu to their right and left. Júlio César starts in goal.

Internazionale, Starting XI: César; Maicon, Ranocchia, Lucio, Chivu; Stankovic, Cambiasso, Motta; Sneijder; Eto’o, Pandev

Okay, so you want some more information before deciding that you are properly informed. That’s fine, I can live with that. It’s always nice when the public wants to be better informed.

Unfortunately for Inter, Cambiasso looks unlikely to play on Tuesday, along with central defender Lucio. These absences present some serious problems for an Inter team who were already ravaged by injuries to defensive players. If the newfound form, fitness, and chemistry that has propelled Robbery to new heights wasn’t already going to be the deciding factor in this fixture, the absence of those two players combined with the form of the two wingers should push Bayern over the top.