record-breaking bayern stroll past sporting published: wednesday 11 march 2009, 0.40cet
fc bayern münchen 7-1 sporting clube de portugal (agg: 12-1)
bayern set a new mark for an aggregate win in a uefa champions league knockout tie after the group stage, while equalling the single-leg record.
by gavin jackson from fußball arena münchen
fc bayern münchen sent out a stark warning to their potential uefa champions league quarter-final rivals by completing the record margin of victory and aggregate scoreline in a post-group stage knockout tie in sweeping aside sporting clube de portugal.
record win two lukas podolski strikes and a bastian schweinsteiger effort were supplemented by an anderson polga own goal as joão moutinho gave sporting scant half-time consolation with a superb strike. after the interval mark van bommel, a miroslav klose penalty and a maiden goal from youngster thomas müller ensured jürgen klinsmann's side, who were without injured stars franck ribéry and luca toni, provided a couple of new entries for the competition record books.
early strike bayern started with the confidence borne of their first-leg triumph and, if their self-belief needed any more reinforcement, podolski provided it within seven minutes. the german international, who may not have been playing had toni been fit, had already produced one dangerous cross before he nonchalantly struck a left-foot shot that dipped wickedly over sporting goalkeeper rui patrício.
podolski again sporting valiantly tried to make a game of it, but could have fallen still further behind as a measured build-up fashioned space for van bommel to shoot, and though patrício parried the dutchman's drive, klose was first to the loose ball only to be denied by a post. right-back christian lell, one of five changes to the side that won in lisbon, and klose then missed clear-cut chances before podolski struck again. polga's attempted header following a hans jörg butt kick ricocheted off patrício and a podolski bicycle kick sent the ball into the empty net.
frenetic action simon vukčević forced butt into his first real save to raise brief hopes that sporting could salvage some pride, but polga's own goal as he turned in a bayern corner six minutes before the interval doused those ambitions. a desperate lunge from the prone patrício denied klose again before joão moutinho gave the sporting fans in the fuβball arena münchen some cheer with a delightful lofted drive that found butt's top right-hand corner. it was the pick of the goals of a frenetic first half, schweinsteiger adding bayern's fourth from inside the box two minutes before the interval.
silva effort with the game and the tie won, bayern contented themselves with holding sporting at arm's length. moutinho, though, valiantly continued to take his team forward after the break and earned a free-kick that pedro silva drove fiercely goalwards, the ball taking a deflection off the bayern wall as it fizzed narrowly wide.
convincing marat izmailov, one of two half-time changes for the visitors, forced butt to punch clear a well-struck volley, and an astute back-heel from the russian midfielder freed vukčević in the box. the montenegrin opted to cut inside rather than shoot, giving butt time to race from his line and smother. that was as good as it got for sporting, though, as müller came off the bench to set up van bommel, and after klose converted a penalty, the 19-year-old tapped in to cap his european debut and an extraordinary tie.
