Bayern Munich 2-1 Atletico Madrid (agg 2-2): Diego Simeone's side book Champions League final place despite defeat at the Allianz Arena after Antoine Griezmann struck crucial away goal
Three times Guardiola has taken the Germans to the last four and watched them fall against Spanish adversaries. A year ago it was Barcelona, the prior year Real Madrid. This time it was Simeone's fighters, who achieve their second last in three years, who were just excessively solid.
Much was said about the clash of styles in the build-up to the game but this was more about substance than anything else and no team has more substance than Atletico.
They gave the defensive performance of their lives, and when they needed a goal Antoine Griezmann dashed from the halfway line and coolly opened the ball past Manuel Neuer, cancelling Xabi Alonso's first half free-kick.
Robert Lewandowski put Bayern 2-1 ahead on the night when he converted from close range after Arturo Vidal headed across the face of the goal however they expected to score twice.
Fernando Torres missed a penalty after he had been brought down by Javi Martinez yet it didn't make a difference. El Nino going to a Europian Cup final with the club he grew up supporting and Guardiola is coming to Manchester following three years of watching it on TV.
'They were superior to anything us in the second diversion however we did the employment at home and escaped objective,' said goalscorer Griezmann. He was correct – Bayern had ruled yet ruling this Atletico group and beating them are two altogether different things.Atletico have averaged 25.5 per cent possession in their last four Champions League games however with so little, they accomplish to such an extent.
The first half in Munich had been a continuation of the second half of the first leg in Madrid with Bayern battering Atletico’s defence and Simeone’s side somehow standing firm.
There were 13 Bayern shots in the first 20 minutes yet with Diego Godin back marshaling the defence and goalkeeper Jan Oblak gigantic behind him there was no chance to get through.
They are used to a different sort of yellow wall in Germany but the yellow-jerseyed keeper blocked Lewandowski at his near post on 20 minutes to keep out Bayern’s best early chance.
When the Bayern onslaught finally found a way past the Slovenian it was via a deflection from one of his own defenders.
There was worse to come for the young Uruguayan centre-back when he dragged Martinez back in the penalty area and Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir pointed to the spot.
Up stepped Muller but he failed to beat Oblak, who not only saved the spot-kick but sprang up to throw himself at Alonso’s attempt to turn-in the rebound.
Tempers were now beginning to flare and none more than Ribery’s. He had already lost his head after the penalty and needed to be pulled away by team-mates from Atletico players.
After a Juanfran elbow downed Lewandoski there was a free-for-all in-front of the two benches and the Frenchman had Simeone of all people by the sleeves of his black coat.
Guardiola called for calm from his players. His team had done half the job by scoring once.
Atletico could surely not hold out under such pressure for another 45 minutes.
They could do better than that – they could score within 10 minutes of the restart.
Griezmann and Torres were partners in crime parked on the halfway line as the ball was played forward. The Frenchman touched it to Torres who released him just onside and he raced to the edge of the area and shot past Neuer. Bayern now needed to score twice.
Lewandowski headed in from close range but there was not a second, as Atletico came closest to troubling the scoreboard. Torres was brought down by Martinez only to miss the penalty.
‘That would have finished it early,’ he said, ‘but it’s nice to win having suffered.’
It meant Atletico had to suffer until the last whistle but nobody is as good at that at Atletico Madrid.
They ran themselves into the ground. And Simeone seemed to take every step with them inside – and often outside – his technical area. Now they are off to Milan together.
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