Bayern stun Juve with late goals in ECL

Mar 16, 2016 - 11:10 PM Bayern Munich scored twice in extra time to battle back from two goals down and beat Juventus 4-2 on Wednesday to march into the Champions League last eight with a 6-4 aggregate victory.

Thiago Alcantara drilled in after 108 minutes and Kingsley Coman curled in their fourth goal as Bayern, who needed a 90th-minute equaliser from Thomas Mueller to force extra time, finished stronger to keep up their treble hopes.

In a reverse of the first leg when Juve came back from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2, Bayern dug deep to score twice in the second half.

"This was a game that affects your heart rate," said Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

"It was a very emotional game, a case of deja-vu but with a different outcome from the first leg. But it must be said that Juve are a bit unlucky to go out like that."

It was a bitter defeat for last season's runners-up Juventus, who ran out of steam in extra time to leave domestic titles as their only potential silverware this season.

"It was a crazy game," said Bayern scorer Mueller. "Juve played well at the back and we let in two goals.

"That should never have happened. Mentally it became a different game, but we said we can make it and we kept our cool."

The hosts had a golden chance after two minutes when Douglas Costa sent former Juve player Arturo Vidal through, but the Chilean's poor first touch allowed Gianluigi Buffon to save.

It was the Bianconeri who drew first blood with Frenchman Pogba capitalising on a David Alaba mistake to beat Manuel Neuer.

Bayern, who had not let in a first-half goal in their previous seven games in the competition, were rattled and Neuer almost gifted another goal after sending the ball straight to Alvaro Morata whose looping effort was ruled off side.

Spaniard Morata, however, made a 40-metre run past four Bayern players to send Cuadrado through for their second goal.

Bayern showed their first signs of life just before the break when Mueller's effort was saved by Buffon and the ball rolled narrowly wide from a Robert Lewandowski deflection.

But Juve, who have let in only one goal in 12 Serie A matches this year, remained solid at the back and kept taking stabs at the shaky Bayern defence, Morata coming close again on the hour.

Poland striker Lewandowski headed in at the far post for his eighth goal of the campaign to reignite the home side's hopes in the 73rd minute, triggering a dramatic finale in which Mueller scored in almost identical fashion.

Substitute Thiago got the goal they needed and Coman, on loan at Bayern from Juve, completed a memorable comeback as coach Pep Guardiola maintained his hopes of a Champions League title in his last season in Munich.

"Football results depend on chances," said Juve `keeper Buffon.

"They attacked a lot in the second half and they took advantage of their chances.

"This is a defeat that should make us understand that we are better than last season. We are going out with our heads held high."

Source: AAP