Rampant Bayern Munich humbled 10-man Shakhtar Donetsk 7-0 on Wednesday to ease into the Champions League quarter-finals and equal the biggest win in the competition’s knockout stages.
After a goalless first leg it was expected to be a close game but it turned into a stroll for the five-times European champions thanks to the early dismissal of Oleksandr Kucher.
“The penalty and the sending-off after three minutes was obviously perfect for us and we used it well,” defender Holger Badstuber told reporters.
“We then got a quick second goal which we wanted and then it was easier.”
Mario Goetze was brought down in the box by Kucher and Thomas Mueller converted the spot-kick.
It was the fastest red card in Champions League history from the start of a game and Mueller’s fourth goal in the competition this season, all from penalties.
The setback forced a complete change of plan for Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu, who brought on defensive midfielder Serhiy Kryvtsov as Bayern pressed on.
Arjen Robben missed a huge chance to double the lead after narrowly failing to connect with a Robert Lewandowski cutback in front of an empty goal.
The Dutchman’s thundering drive then sailed over the bar before he went off with a thigh injury after 19 minutes.
The substitution did nothing to take the pace out of the Germans’ attacks, with the hosts hitting the post from a well-placed placed Robert Lewandowski header.
Jerome Boateng did better in the 34th, tapping in on the rebound after a Lewandowski shot was temporarily cleared with Shakhtar’s defence in complete disarray.
The Bavarians picked up after the break where they left off with two quick goals from Franck Ribery and Mueller, who joined Mario Gomez on 26 goals as the best all-time German scorer in the competition, to kill off the tie.
Badstuber scored his first goal since coming back from injuries that ruled him out for two years before Poland striker Lewandowski also got on to the scoresheet.
Goetze made sure of a mention in the record books with the seventh goal of the evening.
PSG eliminates Chelsea on away goals with 10 men after draw
Paris St Germain reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League after beating Chelsea on away goals on Wednesday having survived most of the match with 10 men to draw 2-2 on the night and 3-3 on aggregate.
The deciding goal was headed home by Thiago Silva in the 114th minute after the PSG captain had earlier given away the penalty that put Chelsea 2-1 ahead.
Eden Hazard scored that spot kick in the 95th minute which looked like settling the niggling, ill-tempered tie but PSG, who had talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic sent off after 31 minutes came fighting back.
Gary Cahill gave Chelsea the lead when he lashed home after 81 minutes but with four minutes of normal time to go, former Chelsea defender David Luiz scored with a powerful header from a corner that flew in off the underside of the bar to force extra time.
PSG did well to take the match into the extra period after losing Ibrahimovic early on, when the Swede connected with the outstretched leg of Brazilian midfielder Oscar, but it was more a clumsy challenge, rather than a dangerous one.
The French side should have taken the lead after 58 minutes when Edinson Cavani rounded goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, but he hit the inside of the near post with his shot and the all bounced across goal and away.
Despite an electrifying start to the match that included an attempt from Cavani after two minutes, and end-to-end play, neither team actually had a shot on target in the first half.
Yet the football both were producing was ruggedly entertaining with Chelsea’s Hazard creating opportunities for his front men which they could not capitalise on.
PSG were faster to almost every ball and dominated possession but Chelsea were never seriously troubled at the back and Ibrahimovic had a forgettable 30 minutes before departing.
Former Chelsea defender Luiz was lucky not to follow him off before halftime after a robust challenge on Diego Costa which floored the Chelsea striker but Luiz escaped because Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers did not see the incident.
Costa was then unlucky not to win a penalty after a mazy run through the Chelsea defence ended when he appeared to be tripped by Cavani in the area, but Kuipers waved play on.
The drama continued when the goals arrived late in normal time but at the end of an astonishing evening, it was PSG’s fans left celebrating a famous success.
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