Photo: Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski continued his fine run of form in front of goals, scoring two as his team ran out 4-1 winners on the night and 7-1 aggreagte winners over Chelsea in the return leg Champions League round of 16 match at the Allianz Arena on Saturday. (Getty Images)
Barcelona and Bayern Munich avoided any potential banana skins, as they eased through to the quarter finals of the UEFA Champions League on Saturday with routine wins over Napoli and Chelsea respectively.
Having seen giants Juventus and Real Madrid being bounced out of the competition on Friday, the two former champions made sure of their places in the final eight by taking care of business at home.
Over at Camp Nou, Barcelona got things going early when defender Clement Lenglet headed home directly from a corner kick in the 10th minute, to give his team a 2-1 aggregate lead. The mercurial Lionel Messi then doubled his team’s advantage with a superb strike in the 23rd minute as Barcelona led 2-0 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate.
Barcelona were then awarded a penalty after a foul on Messi by Kalidou Koulibaly inside the area that had to be decided by VAR, after the initial appeal was waved away by the referee.
With Messi off the field receiving treatment, Luis Suarez took responsibility from twelve yards, firing into the top of the goal for 3-0 in the first minute of added time.
Napoli did manage to pull a goal back in the 5th minute of added time at the end of the first half. Their captain Lorenzo Insinge, who was a doubt before the start of the game, also converted from twelve yards for a 3-1 Barcelona lead on the night and 4-2 on aggregate.
Napoli threw everything at Barcelona in the second half and came close, hitting the post and having a goal rightfully ruled out for offside, but were unable to peg back, an off-colour Barcelona team that will have to do better against a Bayern Munich that appear to be clicking on all cylinders.
At the Allianz Arena Chelsea would have been hoping to save face after being thrashed 0-3 at home by a rampaging Bayern Munich team, but that was not to be.
A brace from Bayern’s hitman, Robert Lewandowski, piloted the hosts to a 4-1 win on the night and 7-1 win on aggregate over a listless Chelsea team.
Frank Lampard’s men were behind after only ten minutes of play when Lewandowski fired home from the penalty spot, to increase the aggregate score for his team to 4-0.
It was all over bar the shouting when Ivan Perisic made it 2-0 on the night and 5-0 on aggregate in the 24th minute.
Tammy Abraham finally got his team on the scoresheet, a minute before half time, as the home team led 2-1 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate at the interval.
Bayern then added two more goals in the second half for good measure, with Lewandowski bookending the match.
Corentin Tolisso made it 3-1 in the 76th minute before Lewandowski got his second and the final goal of the tie in the 83rd minute, again from the penalty spot.
The result sets up the expected, mouthwatering clash between the German champions and the Spanish runners-up in what is sure to be an epic battle.
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