FOOTBALL
Dismal Barca exit Champions League
Barcelona faced another watershed moment in Allianz Arena as the Blaugrana succumbed to a 3-0 defeat and crashed out of the Champions League.
The Catalonians will still be playing European football this season , but they will have to settle for a lower tier competition in the form of the Europa league.
After missing out the 2003/04 tournament, Barcelona had progressed to the knockout stages of the Champions League in each of the last 17 occasions.
But, going into this tie, it was somewhat expected that Barca would return empty handed.
They needed a win at Allianz Arena, which they had never managed to do in their history before. On top of that, the forms of the two sides are polarizing.
Bayern are at the top of Bundesliga and Barcelona, on the other hand, are seventh in La Liga.
They are closer to the bottom of the league than they are to the top, in terms of points.
The key match moments
Xavi had dubbed the match as a final, but his team could not trouble the hosts much apart from the initial 15/20 minutes.
Julian Nagelsmann surprisingly went for a strong squad, despite ensuring the top spot of the group.
Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich were the only two notable absentees, but they only missed out because they were injured.
Jordi Alba tested Manuel Neuer early on with a long ranger and Ousmane Dembele fired over the bar, teasing a competitive match.
But, the visitors’ influence waned as the game progressed. A lung-busting run from Thomas Muller had nearly put Bayern ahead, but his cutback did not reach Robert Lewandowski.
Muller draws first blood
Lewandowski and Muller combined again minutes later, and this time the result was successful.
Muller headed in a Lewandowski chip to grab the 50th Champions League goal of his career; only seven other players in history had touched this milestone before.
Leroy Sane added a second before halftime with a thumping strike.
In the second half, Barcelona failed to create any chance and conceded another goal right around the hour mark as Jamal Musaila guided home an Alphonso Davies cross.
Barcelona will now look forward to finding redemption in the Europa League.
Undoubtedly, if they manage to go all the way, it will do wonders to lift the spirit of this young Barca team.