Bayern Munich placed one foot in the last four of the Champions League as Thiago Alcantara’s header gave them a 2-1 win away to Sevilla on Tuesday in the first leg of their quarter-final in Spain.
Sevilla had knocked out Manchester United in the last 16 and another shock looked on the cards when Pablo Sarabia struck from close range in the first half at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
But Bayern’s nous, and a little luck, proved decisive, as Jesus Navas diverted Franck Ribery’s cross into his own net before Thiago headed in a winner, also deflected, in the second half.
The result leaves Sevilla with a mountain to climb. The Spanish side will need to score at least twice in next week’s second leg at the Allianz Arena to have any hope of reaching the last four.
Their coach Vincenzo Montella had pointed out on Monday how his side has “already made history” by appearing in their first quarter-final of the Champions League era, but their season is in danger of fizzling out before the end of the month.
Adrift of the top four in La Liga, they will take on Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final, 10 days after facing Bayern in the second leg.
“First of all we have not had much luck,” Montella said. “The team deserved something more tonight, at least a draw.”
Bayern, meanwhile, are strong favourites to reach their sixth Champions League semi-final in seven years. On this evidence they look to be genuine contenders to become European champions for a sixth time.
“Sevilla had scoring opportunities,” Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes said. “Psychologically it was very important to pull level at half-time, so we could talk about what happened and talk about other aspects and after we took the reins of the game.”
Montella made a brave call in dropping goalkeeper Sergio Rico and replacing him with David Soria, who had not made a competitive appearance since December 20.
Wissam Ben Yedder, whose two goals saw off United in the previous round, also started, along with Guido Pizarro, who replaced the suspended Ever Banega.
Heynckes was singing the praises of James Rodriguez in the build-up but the Colombian was a surprise absentee, only coming off the bench when Arturo Vidal suffered an injury in the first half.
The home side started the better and should have taken the lead when Ben Yedder’s flick stopped the ball dead for Sarabia eight yards out, but he steered wide of the post.
It was a glaring miss but Sarabia made amends just after the half-hour mark, as Sergio Escudero’s cross bounced awkwardly at the back post where Bayern left-back Juan Bernat made a mess of the clearance. Sarabia nipped in to finish.
Sevilla’s lead was deserved but they held onto it for no more than six minutes as a rare Bayern attack resulted in a goal, Ribery’s in-swinging cross being diverted in at the near post by Navas. Soria got a hand on it, but could only paw the ball in off the post.
Each side went close after the interval as Javi Martinez saved Bayern with a last-ditch slide on Franco Vazquez and then almost scored at the other end, only to be denied by an excellent Soria save.
Sevilla’s early momentum, however, had now given way to a spell of controlled Bayern pressure and it was no surprise when the visitors took the lead midway through the second half.
Ribery was again the provider, his clipped cross to the back post finding the unmarked Thiago, who headed down and into the net with the aid of a deflection off Escudero.
Steven Nzonzi drove wide from distance late on but Sevilla’s belief had been knocked out of them. It was the Bayern fans singing at the finish.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
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THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
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Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final
Kashima Antlers 3 (Nagaki 49’, Serginho 69’, Abe 84’)
Guadalajara 2 (Zaldivar 03’, Pulido 90')
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
RACE SCHEDULE
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm
Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm
Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm
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Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
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UAE v Zimbabwe A, 50 over series
Fixtures
Thursday, Nov 9 - 9.30am, ICC Academy, Dubai
Saturday, Nov 11 – 9.30am, ICC Academy, Dubai
Monday, Nov 13 – 2pm, Dubai International Stadium
Thursday, Nov 16 – 2pm, ICC Academy, Dubai
Saturday, Nov 18 – 9.30am, ICC Academy, Dubai