Acid test for Real Madrid against Borussia Dortmund in the semifinal of UEFA Champions League.

         

This is going to be a litmus test for the most successful team of Europe to survive their reputation while Real Madrid will host the German side Borussia Dortmund at Santiago Bernabeu in the return leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinal following their 4-1 defeat in the first leg.

                 Spanish giant, Real Madrid, the nine times European champions need to overturn their first leg away defeat  for advancing into the final, against a side whom they failed to defeat a single encounter of this season.

                 In their first leg encounter at Signal Eduna Park last week Robert Lewandowsi scored all four goals for the German side while Christano Ronaldo scored the priceless away goal for the visitors.

                 On behalf of that away goal Real Madrid need a clear 3-0 victory over Dortmund to have the ticket of Wembley on the other hand the visitors just need to defend their first leg victory, a goalless draw or even a 1-0 defeat also guide them into the final.

                Real Madrid boss Jose Mourniho told in a press conference that Christano Roanalo, who got injured during the first leg tie will start here from the beginning as well as the

Argentine forward Angel Di Maria will also start here by replacing Luka Modric with Mesut Ozil moving back into his preferred central role.

                Meanwhile the visitors have few injury problems this time with Lukasz Piszczek struggling with the groin injury as well as midfilders Ilkay Gundogan & Mario Gotze are also suffering from injuries.

               In the history of Real Madrid, second time they are going to face such a critical circumstance, first time back to 1975 they faced a similar circumstance while they lost the first leg against English champions Derby Country in the first leg by 4-1 margin but they succeeded to defeat Derby by same margin in the return leg, which levelled the tie, guided the match towards extra time, where Real Madrid scored the decider & advanced them towards the next stage.

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Borussia Dortmund outplayed Real Madrid by 4-1 margin on their first leg encounter of second semifinal of UEFA Champions League.

          

 

             Same story like previous night, another Spanish giant is hammered in the hand of another German club while Borussia Dortmund outplayed Real Madrid by 4-1 margin on their first leg encounter of second semifinal of UEFA Champions League at Dortmund lastnight. The Polish goal poacher Robert Lewandowski netted all four for the homeside in the 8^th minute,

50^th minute, 55^th minute & 66^th minute of the game while Christano Ronaldo scored the solitary goal for the visitors in the 42^nd minute of the match.

               It was all about Robert Lewandowski show at Signal-Iduna-Park in Dortmund lastnight. The Polish international is the current top scorer of Beundeslig this season as well as scored 11 goals in his last 12 Champions League appearances.

               The hosts started in a very positive approach they should have taken the lead within 2^nd minute of the game while Sven Bender wins the ball with a strong challenge in midfield and plays the ball to Marco Reus, who failed to guide the ball past Real Madid custodian Diego Lopez.

               However the Polish star scored his first goal of the match in the 8^th minute of the game while Mario Goze crossed

from the left and  Lewandowski got the better of Pepe on the edge of the six-yard box and poked the ball home with a perfectly timed lunge.

                A genuine penalty appeal in fore of the homeside was rejected by the referee B. Kuipers‎ in the 41st minute while Raphael Varane was scrambling back to try to take the ball off Reus, but lost his footing and knocked over the Dortmund midfielder in the penalty area.

                    While Dortmund's players were getting all het up with the referee, Mats Hummel tried to play the ball back to his goalkeeper from a good way out with a horrendously under-hit back-pass. Gonzalo Higuain latched on to it, drew the goalkeeper and only remaining defender before rolling the ball

across the face of goal, where Ronaldo didn’t make any mess to slot the ball inside the net, leveled the game in 42nd minute.

                 The first half ended in an 1 all stalemate.

                  Robert Lewandowski restored the parity for the hosts in 50^th minute of the game, the visitors started to appeal for an offside but referee rejected their plea.

In 55^th minute of the game Lewandowski completed his hat-trick, following a centre from left side, he took the ball on his left foot, dodged the defender, took a sort turn and fired it inside the roof of the net, this is the best goal he scored lastnight.

                 In the 66^th minute of the game Xavi Alonso pulled down Reus inside the box, referee pointed towards the spot, Lewandowski found the net from the spot, scored his fourth, put hosts 4-1 ahead, sealed the game on their fore.

                 Most probably in the return leg  it’s going to be the

action replay of last year’s semifinals where these two Spanish giants were eliminated from the same stage.

                  The dominance of Spanish clubs is going to over now, in this year Champions League no Spanish club became able to defeat any German side yet. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if it becomes the all German final at Wembley on 25^th May this year.

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Borussia Dortmund, going to host Real Madrid in the first leg encounter of 2nd semifinal in UEFA Champions League.

         

               German Side Borussia Dortmund are going to host the Spanish giant, the most successful side in Champions League history, the nine times European champion Real Madrid in the first leg encounter of the 2^nd semifinal of UEFA Champions League in Dortmund tonight.

               The German side will make their attempt to make the final for the first time since winning the trophy in 1997, but their preparation have been heavily hampered by yesterday’s revelation that Mario Gotze will be leaving the club to join their arch-rival Bayern Munich in a  £31.5m deal at the end of the season. The news sees the playmaker end a 12-year association with the club that has been difficult for fans to take before such a high voltage encounter.

              Dortmund remain the only unbeaten side in this year’s tournament, after a late show saw them overturn a 2-1 deficit to qualify for the semi-finals, at Malaga’s expense. Jurgen Klopp's side will be determined to thwart the competition’s top scorer Cristiano

Ronaldo, who has netted 11 goals in Europe this season.

               In the other hand Real Madrid were beaten by the same side at the same venue in their Group league encounter by 2-1 margin following their 2 all stalemate at Santiago Bernabeu.

               Jose Mourinho is without the services of Marcelo, stretchered off at the weekend, so Fabio Coentrao will deputise in his absence. Meanwhile Luka Modric and Karim Benzema may require late fitness tests. Diego Lopez suffered a knock to his ribs on Saturday against Real Betis but Mourinho has confirmed he will play so Iker Casillas remains on the bench.

               Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to provide Madrid's most potent goalscoring outlet, already with11 vital goals in their European campaign to his name and he

currently sits three strikes clear at the top of the tournaments goalscoring charts. For Dortmund Lewandowski looks dangerous having picked up five goals to his name in the tournament whilst Marco Reus will provide valuable support having attained four strikes to his name too.

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Bayern, ransacked Barcelona by 4-0 margin in the first leg of UEFA Champions League first semifinal.

              

              Bayern Munich hammered Barcelona by a clear 4-0 margin in the first leg of UEFA Champions League first semifinal at Allianz Arena lastnight, took a massive step toward returning to the Champions League final will be played at Wembley 25^th May. Thomas Muller scored a brace in the 25^th & 82nd minute, Mario Gomez & Arjen Robben scored one each in the 49^th minute & 73rd minute of the game respectively.

             Barcelona suffer their heaviest defeat in European competition since 1997 eventually when the two teams last met

in Europe, back in 2008/09, Barca had thrashed Bayern 4-0 in the first leg of their quarterfinal tie at the Nou Camp.

            The Catalans eased into its possession game from the outset, but Bayern, a side who wrapped up the Bundesliga in record time this season, and scored 16 goals in the space of 10 days recently, certainly had no reason to feel inferior.

              The Bavarians had the first chance in the very early minutes of the game with Robben exchanging passes with Martinez before shooting straight at Victor Valdes in the second minute.

              Two genuine penalty appeals against the Catalan side which had convinced the Allianz Arena crowd were not as much entertained by referee Viktor Kassai.

             But the hosts didn’t genuinely need any helping hands as they took the lead in the 25^th minute.

              Arjen Robben's cross from the right picked out Dante at the far post, and he returned the ball to the opposite post where Mueller was encroaching to head in the opener with Victor Valdes unable to stop the ball before it crept in.

              Dante averted a minor scare five minutes later when he got in a vital touch just in front of an anonymous Messi from Pedro's cross, but that was a mere punctuation in a dominant display from Bayern.

              The hosts doubled the lead in the 49th minute when Robben's corner was headed down at the far post by Mueller with an unmarked Gomez sweeping the ball in from underneath the crossbar.

             They established that in the 73rd minute when Robben capped a fine individual performance by sliding the ball inside the far post after getting in around the back of Jordi Alba, who appeared to be impeded by Mueller in the build-up.

             Marc Bartra wasted a rare opportunity for the guests in the 76th minute before Mueller wrapped things up six minutes

later, tucking the ball in from close range after David Alaba got round the back of Barca's crumbling defense.

               Barca may have felt some key decisions went against them, with appeals against Gomez for offside when he netted

Bayern's second just after the break and a foul on Jordi Alba in the lead-up to Robben's strike falling on deaf ears.

            By the end it was a humiliation. Barcelona, the team that have made their reputation on merciless thrashings, know what it feels like to be on the wrong end of a good old-fashioned one themselves. They had been outfought, out-thought and, ultimately, outplayed and, from here, who can possibly see Bayern surrendering this position and not making it to Wembley on 25 May?

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