Bayern Munich 4-0 Barcelona: Messi and Co. overrun as Germans all but seal final berth
Bayern Munich took a massive step toward returning to the Champions League final with an incredible 4-0 thrashing of Barcelona in the first leg of their last four clash at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday.
On the same day that they stunned the football world by capturing Mario Gotze from Bundesliga rival Borussia Dortmund, the Bavarian giants again reminded everyone that they are a force to be reckoned with by playing the Blaugrana off the pitch.
Thomas Muller opened the scoring with a close-range header, and put the second on a plate for Mario Gomez minutes into the second half.
Muller would controversially play a role in Arjen Robben's goal after appearing to foul Jordi Alba off the ball, before tapping in the fourth himself with eight minutes remaining to round off the biggest ever margin of victory in a Champions League semifinal.
Mario Gomez replaced the suspended Mario Mandzukic up front for the hosts, while for the visitors, Marc Bartra partnered Gerard Pique in defense with Carles Puyol and Javier Mascherano injured.