TheDailySoccerNews.com

Holders Bayern Munich are through to the quarterfinals of the German Cup after a thrilling 6-3 victory at nine-man Stuttgart.

The Bavarian giants had beaten the same opponents 5-3 at the weekend, but they went one goal better on Wednesday, thanks to three late goals.

Andreas Ottl and Mario Gomez gave the visitors a two-goal lead in the first eight minutes, but the home side fought back to level 2-2 at the interval thanks to a double strike from Pavel Pogrebnyak.

A frantic second 45 minutes saw Miroslav Klose put Bayern back into the lead before Stuttgart had Dutch defender Khalid Boulahrouz sent off for a second yellow card offense.

Remarkably Stuttgart then missed a penalty before Mattieu Delpierre levelled matters with 13 minutes remaining.

However, the man advantage began to tell, and late goals from Thomas Muller and a second from Klose put Bayern in control.

Delpierre was then shown his marching orders before an injury time goal from Franck Ribery put the gloss on an extraordinary match. (continue reading…)

Louis van Gaal said “We scored some good goals from some good moves, but there’s no way we should be conceding any more goals. It’s a shame that’s happened. I know that, and the players know that. It’s often been the case, and it’s something that has to improve. Dortmund are a long way ahead, but we can make up a four-point gap to second place. The cup tie on Wednesday is a new game altogether, it starts 0-0, and it’s a death or gladioli game.”

Bayern ended an occasionally problematic first half of the Bundesliga campaign on a high with a valuable win in a remarkable encounter with strugglers Stuttgart, a result and a performance which hands Louis van Gaal’s side a psychological edge ahead of the teams’ cup meeting in three days’ time, but also bodes well for the double winners’ domestic ambitions in the new year.

The 40,500 capacity crowd at the partially-renovated Mercedes-Benz-Arena saw Mario Gomez, Thomas Müller and Franck Ribery crack three past the woeful home defence in a devastating quarter-hour before half-time. Stuttgart sub Martin Harnik pulled one back soon after the restart, but Gomez instantly restored the visitors’ three-goal lead and then completed his hat-trick to put FCB four clear before the hour was up.

Harnik scored again and Christian Gentner sneaked one in at the far post as the game took an unexpected twist midway through the second period, but FCB eventually restored a semblance of order to make certain of the points.

The win means Van Gaal’s men lie fifth in the Bundesliga standings at the midpoint of the campaign on 29 points from 17 matches, four off Leverkusen and Mainz in third and second, but still 14 adrift of leaders Dortmund. Bayern’s final fixture before the winter break is on the same ground against the same opponents in the last sixteen of the cup next Wednesday.
Van Gaal made two changes to the side which beat St Pauli in the league last weekend. Toni Kroos currently has a leg in plaster, and Bastian Schweinsteiger stayed at home in Munich with a heavy cold, so Andi Ottl came into central midfield, and fit-again Gomez resumed up front against his former club, with the playmaking duties passing to Müller. (continue reading…)

Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge says Bastian Schweinsteiger will not be going anywhere until 2012.

The Germany international has yet to commit himself to a new deal beyond 2012 and it has been rumoured that Bayern may sell him next summer should he not sign an extension by then, otherwise they risk losing him on a free transfer 12 months later.

However, speaking at the club’s Annual General Meeting last night, Rummenigge ruled out that eventuality and said he still hopes Schweinsteiger will pledge his long-term future to the club.

“We will not be letting the player go before his contract ends in 2012 in any case,” he said.

“Bastian has developed a great deal in the last two years and I am very optimistic that we and his agents can find an agreement.

“Our aim is to give Bastian a long-term contract.”

Rummenigge’s words were met with resounding applause from the members present at last night’s AGM. (continue reading…)

Bayern suffered an unexpected setback at the start of the new Bundesliga campaign, losing away to promoted Kaiserslautern despite claiming almost three-quarters of the possession and creating chance after chance in the second half, only to be undone by the underdogs’ prodigious effort and willpower.

The 49,780 capacity crowd at the Fritz-Walter stadium saw the visitors boss the play from the off, but Thomas Müller squandered a golden opportunity to hand his side the lead, and Ivo Ilicevic and Srdjan Lakic stunned the champions with two goals in 60 seconds ten minutes before half-time. Louis van Gaal’s men laid siege to the home goal in the second half, but the shooting was too often wayward and the home side’s resistance too dogged on an off night for the men from Munich.

With no league fixtures next weekend due to Euro 2012 qualifying, the Bavarians are next in Bundesliga action at 6.30 in the evening on Saturday 11 September, when fellow Champions League hopefuls Werder Bremen visit the Allianz Arena.

Van Gaal made just one change to the side which sealed a last-gasp win over Wolfsburg in the restart fixture a week ago, fit-again Ivica Olic taking over from Toni Kroos. Otherwise, keeper Jörg Butt lined up behind full-backs Philipp Lahm and Diego Contento, and central defenders Daniel van Buyten and Holger Badstuber. (continue reading…)

Keen anticipation, plenty of confidence and a happily relaxed attitude were the hallmarks of the Bayern party which arrived in Madrid on Thursday lunchtime, ready for the Champions League final against Inter. “We’re optimistic and we think we can do it,” said chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge prior to take-off from Munich, “this team deserves to win the Champions League.”

“The mood in the dressing room is very good. We’re all delighted and proud to be here. We have a massive chance to make history,” commented Arjen Robben at the news conference held in the team hotel after the squad’s arrival. The former Real star and his FCB team-mates landed in the Spanish capital after a flight lasting just over two hours, to be greeted by sunny skies and 25-degree temperatures.

Apart from the suspended Franck Ribéry, who has joined up with the France squad to begin preparations for the World Cup but will travel to Madrid for the final, the entire Munich squad boarded Lufthansa flight LH 5018 in time for take-off at 11.30 on Thursday morning. “There’s a little bit of tension, but also a keen sense of anticipation,” reported keeper Jörg Butt. Alongside skipper Mark van Bommel, the shot-stopper is the only Bayern man to have featured in a Champions League final to date. (continue reading…)

“See you in Madrid,” Bayern boss Louis van Gaal texted his Internazionale counterpart José Mourinho, even before their respective teams had made it to the Champions League final. As it turned out, the appointment will be kept. “He’s a good friend from the world of football. And you don’t have many friends in the world of football,” said van Gaal, referring to his former assistant at Barcelona.

Inter’s Portuguese supremo, not otherwise known as a soft-hearted representative of his trade, responded with an unusually warm thought. “We’ll embrace before and after the match – I’m absolutely confident of that,” the 47-year-old Mourinho remarked.

Clash of tacticians

Despite their friendship, the pair will spend the whole of Saturday evening’s game trying to outwit and outmanoeuvre the other. “He’s a cunning tactician, just like our coach. They’ll be thinking about how to catch the other by surprise,” mused Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. More than any other Champions League final of recent years, the Madrid showdown is a battle between master strategists. Both have formed and led to the final teams which rated as unfancied before the start of the season. (continue reading…)

Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery will miss the Champions League final after the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected his appeal against a ban.

The 27-year-old France playmaker turned to Cas after Uefa imposed a three-match suspension following his red card for a tackle on Lyon’s Lisandro Lopez.

Uefa had already dismissed an appeal and on Monday Cas upheld the decision.

Saturday’s final clash against Inter Milan in Madrid will be the second match of Ribery’s European ban.

Cas said it would reveal the reasons for its decision “in a few days” but the court’s secretary general, Matthieu Reeb, said that judges were reluctant to interfere in refereeing judgements.
“Cas, in accordance with regular practice, was very prudent in ruling on circumstances on the field of play,” he explained, adding it was a “borderline case”.

Before going to Cas, Bayern had appealed to Uefa in the hope European football’s governing body would cut the ban to one game.

That would have allowed Ribery to play in the final as he had already sat out the second leg of the semi-final against Lyon, following his sending off in the first leg.

The Cas decision means Ribery will also miss the first European match of the 2010-11 season.

In the first of their two finals in eight days, Bayern swept aside the challenge of Werder Bremen to win the DFB Cup for a record 15th time, clinch their eighth championship-cup double (and the sixth since 2000) and complete the perfect preparation for next Saturday’s European Champions League final against Internazionale in Madrid.

Dutch winger Arjen Robben was a constant thorn in the side of the northerners and he gave the newly-crowned champions a deserved first-half lead from the penalty spot. After the interval the floodgates opened with Ivica Olic, Franck Ribéry and finally Bastian Schweinsteiger scoring further goals. Bremen had no answer, a flurry of yellow cards and Torsten Frings’ sending off a quarter hour from time testifying to their frustration as the game wore on toward its inexorable conclusion.
As promised, Bayern coach Louis van Gaal sent out his strongest side rather than resting key players ahead of next weekend’s Champions League final. Thomas Schaaf surprisingly left Marko Marin on the Werder bench as he sought to achieve what would be a record fourth DFB Cup victory as a manager. The Bremen side contained three former Bayern players – Claudio Pizarro, Torsten Frings and Tim Borowski – while Bayern had one-time Werder striker Miroslav Klose on the bench.

Bayern immediately took the initiative and Robben had the first shot of the match turned aside for a corner by Werder goalkeeper Tim Wiese after three minutes; Martin Demichelis headed over from the subsequent corner. But in the eighth minute Jörg Butt was called into action, saving first Pizarro’s close-range drive after the former Bayern man had evaded Daniel van Buyten and then a follow-up strike from Frings, before Holger Badstuber blocked Aaron Hunt’s effort.

It was to prove the only serious chance of the first half as the newly-crowned champions pressed their opponents back, although captain Mark van Bommel and Olic both found their way into the notebook of referee Thorsten Kinhöfer for fouls within the first 20 minutes. In the 23rd minute Wiese had to be alert to save from Robben after Philipp Lahm’s cross was deflected to his feet, and in the 30th minute the Dutch winger shot just wide from 16 metres after receiving a return pass from Thomas Müller. (continue reading…)

Something as trivial as a deep and painful gash was never going to stop Ivica Olic on this particular evening. Blood was dripping from a wound to the back of his head, but the Croat still attacked Philipp Lahm’s 78th-minute cross and headed the ball back across Lyon keeper Hugo Lloris and into the net. Bayern went 3-0 up, all of them scored by Olic in arguably the best game of his career.

“I didn’t want to be substituted, because I had the feeling I could score another couple,” the match-winner stated afterwards, revealing what was said in a touchline exchange between him, Bayern chief medic Dr Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt and boss Louis van Gaal. Olic already had two goals to his name at that point, a 26th-minute right-footed shot on the turn after great work by Thomas Müller, and a left-footed effort on 67 minutes from a sublime Hamit Altintop pass. Bayern were as good as home and dry, but Olic wanted more.
“Scoring three in a match like that is outstanding, a dream,” the 30-year-old declared after the match, a look approaching bewilderment on his face. The former Hamburg striker is now on seven goals in the Champions League this term, a huge contribution to Munich’s thrilling progress to the final. Only eight-goal Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has scored more often. (continue reading…)