Monday, May 10, 2010

Bayern Make Light Work Of Lyon

Arjen Robben said he was looking forward to reacquainting himself with the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu after Bayern Munich booked their place in this season's Champions League final.

The German giants will contest the May 22 showpiece at the home of Real Madrid against either Barcelona or Inter Milan after swatting aside Lyon 3-0 at Stade Gerland here on Tuesday to secure a 4-0 aggregate victory.

Bayern's progress to their first European final since they last won the tournament in 2001 means Robben will return to the home of his former club.

The free-scoring Dutch international winger joined Bayern from Real in August 2009 after an often injury-plagued two-year spell in the Spanish capital.

His departure was hastened by the return of big-spending Real president Florentino Perez and although Robben expressed reluctance to leave at the time, he now feels he made the right decision.

"I'm very happy to be going back to Madrid," he said.
"I made a very good decision in joining Bayern, and I knew that even before we qualified for the final.

"I feel really good at this club. We've already had a superb season and it will be huge if we win the treble."

Bayern currently lead the Bundesliga on goal difference from Schalke with two games to play and will face holders Werder Bremen in the German Cup final on May 15.
They are on course for one of the most successful seasons in their glittering history and young forward Thomas Mueller conceded he was struggling to take it all in.

"I still can't quite believe that I'm going to play in the Champions League final in my first season with the senior squad," said the 20-year-old.
"We could win a historic treble, we're looking forward and we take enormous pleasure from playing together."

Lyon were left frustrated after producing tame performances in both legs.
Michel Bastos wasted their best opportunity to equalise in the second leg when he volleyed wide in the first half and Lyon's hopes were effectively dashed when centre-back Cris was dismissed with half an hour to play after receiving two quick-fire yellow cards, the second for dissent.

"If I score that goal, at 1-0 (to Bayern), we could change the match, but we lose Cris, an important player, and we have to run twice as much," said Brazilian winger Bastos, who finished the game playing at left-back.

"But they deserve to be in the final. What a team. We have to try not to think about it and apply ourselves to the league."

With five matches of the French domestic season to play, Lyon are currently two places off the top-three finish they need to secure a repeat qualification for next season's Champions League.

They visit fourth-placed Montpellier on Sunday and coach Claude Puel echoed Bastos's words by encouraging his charges to switch their focus to their remaining Ligue 1 fixtures.
"We want to relive these moments and you can only do that via the championship," he said.
"We have to get over it and get ready for Montpellier on Sunday. We're a united group and we'll show it until the end of the season."

Croatia international striker Ivica Olic was the star man for Bayern in Tuesday's second leg, netting a hat-trick to take his goal tally in this season's competition to seven -- one behind Barcelona's Lionel Messi.

Lyon managed just a single shot on target over the course of the 90 minutes and Olic admitted to being surprised by their lacklustre showing.

"I thought Lyon would be stronger than that, but after the first goal, they folded," he said. "After the 26th minute (when Olic scored his first goal), they stopped believing.

"This team can't manage to score three goals against Grenoble (Ligue 1's already relegated bottom club). How do you think they're going to score three against Bayern?"

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