Bayern Munich outclassed Porto 6-1 on Tuesday to reach its fourth consecutive Champions league semi-final and give coach Guardiola an emphatic victory in his 100th match in charge of the German powerhouse. Robert lewandowski scored two goals as the five-time champions roared back from a 3-1 defeat in the first leg last week to advance 7-4 on aggregate. Thiago Alcantara, Jerome Boateng, Thomas Mueller and Xabi Alonso were also on the score sheet for the home side. Jackson Martinez scored for Porto, which finished the match with 10 men after Ivano Marcano was sent off in the 87th.
Despite missing some of its biggest stars such as Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, Bayern applied pressure from the opening whistle and had wiped out Porto’s first-leg advantage by the 27th minute. “It’s easy to love my players now,” said Guardiola, whose position would have come under scrutiny in the German media if his side had made an exit at the quarterfinal stage. “I am the coach of extraordinary players. I didn’t expect such a first half.”
“We can still play better. We lost the ball here and there and we can improve on that. We had a few problems in the second half. They had only a few chances in the second half but you should never relax in the Champions league.” Guardiola’s team toyed with the dispirited visitors, who began the match by defending with all men in their own half and failed to take a shot at Manuel Neuer’s goal in the opening 45 minutes.
“There are worse situations in life,” said Mueller, who set up two goals and is now Germany’s all-time top scorer in the Champions league with 27 goals. “It was wonderful. It couldn’t have gone better. We never thought we could play such a first half.” Porto, which upset Bayern to win the 1987 European Cup title, went into the match undefeated in the competition this season but came away with humiliating loss.
“We didn’t play well in the second half and we conceded an early goal,” Porto coach Julen lopetegui said. “Bayern is one of the best teams in the world and the favorite to win the title... We knew they would come down the sides and we tried to prevent their attacks but we failed. Although his team was easily controlling the match, Guardiola was his usual agitated self in the coaching zone and had opened a large rip in the seam of the left leg of his trousers in his 100th match in charge for Bayern Munich.