Manchester City took a big step towards the Champions League semi-finals with a dominant 3-0 victory over Bayern Munich. City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, was emotionally overwhelmed after watching his side outclassing his ex-club. Guardiola knows that his work at Etihad Stadium will ultimately be judged on his ability to win the Champions League, and he believes that this season could be different.
Bayern is renowned for their quality and dangerous attacking play, but they were no match for City’s force of will and all-round quality. Despite threatening at times, the visitors simply couldn’t cope with City’s relentless attacking and pressing style. In the end, Bayern were happy to stop any further damage, rather than trying to score a goal that would have given them a lifeline in the second leg in Munich.
In another quarter-final match, Inter Milan secured a deserved 2-0 victory away to Benfica. Nicolo Barella’s downward header gave Inter the lead before Benfica struggled to dictate play in front of their own fans. Despite pushing for an equaliser, Benfica could not find a way past Inter’s defensive masterclass.
Inter wrapped up the win late on when Romelu Lukaku scored from the spot after former Inter player Joao Mario handled in the box. Referee Michael Oliver awarded the penalty after consulting the pitchside monitor and watching replays that showed the ball struck the side of Mario’s head before hitting his hand.
With a solid victory in Lisbon, Simone Inzaghi’s Inter Milan will be confident of finishing the job in the return leg in front of their own fans on 19 April.
