getafe stunned as toni saves bayern published: friday 11 april 2008, 0.59cet
getafe cf 3-3 fc bayern münchen (agg: 4-4, bayern win on away goals) luca toni's 120th-minute header broke getafe hearts.
by paul bryan from getafe
a 120th-minute header from luca toni broke getafe cf hearts as fc bayern münchen, already saved once by an 89th-minute equaliser, snatched a 3-3 draw and an away goals victory to reach the uefa cup semi-finals.
agony of defeat a remarkable quarter-final tie appeared to have been won for a second time on the night by getafe when the european debutants scored two quick goals in extra time through javier casquero and braulio. but when getafe goalkeeper pato dropped a routine catch in the 115th minute, toni tapped in to leave spanish nerves frayed. and the dream, which had been on for michael laudrup's ten men from the moment cosmin contra shot them into a 44th-minute lead, turned nightmare at the death as toni headed in a cross from josé ernesto sosa.
sending-off a match so widely anticipated in these parts following the 1-1 draw in germany burst into life with rubén de la red involved immediately. the midfielder, deployed at centre-back because of injuries, lasted only six minutes in a makeshift defence which was undone to devastating effect. klose ran through and was caught by de la red just outside the getafe box. the referee decided to show red rather than yellow and, from the resulting free-kick, franck ribéry let fly an effort that bounced back off pato's right-hand upright. toni knocked in the rebound but was adjudged to have handled.
contra flow with a fizzing shot from contra the only bright spot for the side from the madrid suburbs, there was another stroke of misfortune when ikechukwu uche limped off with a hamstring injury. getafe's luck turned a little as pato flapped at philipp lahm's cross and christian lell sent the loose ball wastefully wide. then, moments before half-time, came confirmation of getafe's pluck. first-leg scorer contra charged down the right, cut inside martín demichelis and slammed the ball high past oliver kahn.
missed chances ottmar hitzfeld had underlined getafe's togetherness as a strength and the ten men were going to have to showcase that as bayern emerged for the second period with extra urgency. toni, bastian schweinsteiger and klose all went close, yet the visitors' need to push forward created space for the primera división team to exploit. substitute braulio raced clear and rounded kahn before slipping at the crucial moment. getafe broke again and squandered another opportunity when first jaime gavilán then braulio failed to convert.
victory denied the tie should have been over, but when david cortés, under pressure, nodded a loose ball straight to ribéry following a long punt forward from mark van bommel, the french international volleyed it back with interest to force extra time. having survived the sending-off and then had a glorious success stolen at the death, could getafe come again? the answer arrived inside a minute of overtime. braulio reached the angle of the bayern area before laying off a pass for casquero whose firm strike zipped past kahn's right hand and in off the post. the underdogs had their third when mario cotelo centred for braulio, bayern defender lucio stumbled, and the attacker lashed the ball home; agonisingly, though, getafe would not have their day. bayern advance to play fc zenit st. petersburg on 24 april and 1 may.
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