What We're Reading
Bayern Crushes Opponents Ahead of UCL Semifinal
- Reuters, Monday, April 22, 2013 1:37 PM
Bayern Munich continued its imperious form ahead of the first-leg of its UEFA Champions League semifinal series against Barcelona in Munich on Tuesday, recording its record-breaking
26th Bundesliga win (in just 30 games) by crushing Steve Cherundolo’s Hannover 96, 6-1, on Saturday. The runaway Bundesliga champion is still in the hunt for three trophies this
season after advancing to the German Cup final last Tuesday, beating VfL Wolfsburg by the same score in the semifinal.
During both games, the Bavarian giant was able to rest several of its
first-team starters ahead of Tuesday’s crucial UCL clash at the Allianz Arena. "The players showed that there is no B team but just one A team," coach Jupp Heynckes said after
Saturday’s romp. "My players just have fun playing soccerl and they were all fully motivated. We put down the foundations for a big win in the first half."
Bayern keeper
Manuel Neuer added, "We all wanted to prepare well for Barcelona. We succeeded in doing just that. We played very well and had an outstanding first half."
Elsewhere,
Borussia Dortmund, Germany’s other UCL Semifinalist, secured its automatic berth in Europe’s top competition next season with a 2-0 win against Mainz. Second-place Dortmund, which is 20
points behind Bayern in the Bundesliga table, plays Real Madrid at home in its UCL Semifinal first-leg on Wednesday.
