(CNN)There was no repeat of last season’s semifinal capitulation, but Bayern Munich’s hopes of winning the Champions League on home soil have been ended by another Spanish side.
Barcelona progressed to the final of European football’s top club competition for the eighth time Tuesday with a 5-3 aggregate win over the German champion, despite losing 3-2 at the Allianz Arena.
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Medhi Benatia gave the Bavarian fans hope of another incredible comeback when he headed home a corner in the seventh minute, but Barcelona’s star forward trio combined twice to effectively seal the outcome inside half an hour.
Both times the moves started with Lionel Messi, then Luis Suarez provided killer passes to Neymar as Bayern’s defense was caught on the counter-attack.
Robert Lewandowski made up for his first-half frustration with a fine equalizer from the edge of the area with half an hour to play, and Thomas Muller put Bayern ahead on the night with a similar curled effort, but last week’s 3-0 deficit from the Nou Camp proved too much to overcome — though the defeat did end Barca’s 18-match unbeaten run.
Final berth deserved after great season by the whole team. Fourth time in ten years, pride for all Barça supporters. Congratulations!
— Josep Maria Bartomeu (@jmbartomeu) May 12, 2015
For Barcelona it was sweet revenge from the 7-0 semifinal thrashing by Bayern two seasons ago, but for the Catalan club’s former coach Pep Guardiola it was another last-four lament following last year’s 4-0 home crushing at the hands of Real Madrid.
Luis Enrique has now emulated his former teammate Guardiola in leading Barcelona to the Champions League final, which the club last managed four years ago when it beat Manchester United to secure the title for the fourth time.
Like last year, Bayern has suffered a miserable end to the season despite clinching the Bundesliga title with weeks to spare. Guardiola has seen his side lose five successive matches, including defeat in the German Cup semifinals, and he will end this campaign with just one trophy — having claimed four in his first year in Germany.
Barcelona, on the other hand, is on course to repeat the treble that Guardiola masterminded in 2009, with Enrique’s team leading La Liga by four points with two games to play and facing Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final — though both of those competitions are in limbo due to the national football federation’s dispute with the government over new TV rights revenue legislation.
“We’re one win away from winning each of the three competitions,” Enrique told reporters. “This is our mission.”
Luis Enrique: “Misson: accomplished. Our next objective is to be European champions.” #HalloBerlin #FCBLive #UCL pic.twitter.com/LF7aAqGl0V
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 12, 2015
Bayern fans were hoping for a repeat of the quarterfinals, when their team overcame a 3-1 first-leg deficit to thrash Porto 6-1 at home and secure a place in the last four for the fourth successive year.
And Benatia’s header raised the roof, as the Morocco defender rose highest to nod home Xabi Alonso’s corner.
But Barca quietened the crowd just eight minutes later when Messi’s sublime pass caught out the home defense, allowing Suarez to set up Neymar with a simple equalizer.
The Brazilian then joined Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Shakhtar Donetsk’s Luiz Adriano on nine goals in the competition — second only behind Messi’s 10.
The Argentine superstar headed on a long ball and Suarez again squared to Neymar on the left, and he beat World Cup winner Manuel Neuer at the near post.
#Guardiola: “I now want to celebrate our Championship before planning for next season.” #FCBFCB pic.twitter.com/UO0b07GNO1
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) May 12, 2015
At the other end, Barca’s German goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Steger made several fine saves, including a reflex effort to first deny Robert Lewandowski and then claw the ball to safety off the line.
Lewandowski, playing in a mask to protect his broken jaw and nose, made up for his first-half misses when he danced free on the edge of the penalty area and left Ter Steger with no chance for his sixth of the competition this season.
The Poland striker and Bastian Schweinsteiger then combined to tee up Muller in the 74th minute for the forward’s seventh Champions League goal, but Bayern was left to rue that first-leg defeat in the Catalan capital, where Messi’s late double and another from Neymar put their team in complete control.
Of 125 first-leg games in the competition won 3-0, only six teams have managed to reverse that deficit.
“We knew they would push from the off and we got the two goals that calmed us down,” Barca captain Andres Iniesta told reporters.
“In the second half they pushed forward, but we need to celebrate being in another final. We need to finish what we have started. We can’t settle for less.”
Defending champion Real Madrid will try to set up a second successive all-Spanish title showdown on Wednesday at home to Juventus, but faces a 2-1 deficit against the Italian league winner.
Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas is set to join Xavi Hernandez as the only player to have made 150 Champions League appearances — the 35-year-old Barcelona midfielder reached that milestone when he came on as a second-half substitute against Bayern.
The final will be played in Berlin on June 6.
The Champions League’s greatest comebacks 15 photos
Masking inadequacies? – Bayern Munich faces a near impossible task of overturning a 3-0 deficit in the second leg of its Champions League semifinal tie against Barcelona. But while Barca will be favorite to progress, history suggests the tie is not quite over just yet…
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The Champions League’s greatest comebacks 15 photos
They’ve done it before… – Bayern has form when it comes to comebacks and its quarterfinal victory over Porto was just one example. The German side lost 3-1 in Portugal but turned it around at the Allianz Arena, scoring five goals in the first 40 minutes before easing to a 6-1 win.
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The Champions League’s greatest comebacks 15 photos
Milan meltdown – AC Milan looked destined to qualify for the last four of the 2004 Champions League after winning the first leg of its quarterfinal tie against Deportivo La Coruna 4-1. Having gone behind, the Italian side scored four goals in eight minutes, two of them to Brazil star Kaka, to seemingly seal a semifinal place.
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The Champions League’s greatest comebacks 15 photos
Surely not? – Deportivo required a 3-0 victory to progress on away goals but few expected the Spanish club to seriously threaten, even after Walter Pandiani’s goal on five minutes.
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The Champions League’s greatest comebacks 15 photos
Can you be serious? – Deportivo sensed an opportunity and Juan Carlos Valeron added a second with a header before Albert Luque made it 3-0 just before halftime. Milan was in disarray at the interval and heading out of the competition.
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The Champions League’s greatest comebacks 15 photos
Disbelief – Deportivo fans could scarcely believe what they were watching as the might of Milan was torn apart. With just 15 minutes remaining, Fran netted his side’s fourth of the night to give Deportivo a 5-4 victory. The result sent shockwaves through European football.
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The Champions League’s greatest comebacks 15 photos
Facing embarrassment – Liverpool reached the 2005 Champions League final dreaming of a fifth victory in the competition — but by halftime the English team trailed 3-0 to Milan in Istanbul. Milan scored in the very first minute of the tie through Paolo Maldini before striker Hernan Crespo added two more before the interval. Liverpool’s hopes appeared to be in ruins.
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The Champions League’s greatest comebacks 15 photos
Can’t happen, can it? – When Liverpool needed him most, the captain responded. Steven Gerrard headed his side back into the game on 54 minutes to give fans the faintest glimmer of hope. What happened next was one of the most astonishing five minutes of European club football. First, substitute Vladimir Smicer rifled home from long range. Three minutes later, Xabi Alonso smashed home an equalizer after his penalty had been partially saved.
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The Champions League’s greatest comebacks 15 photos
Nerves of steel – Having somehow taken the game into extra-time, Liverpool survived the extra 30 minutes thanks to goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek. With no further goals, it was left to the lottery of penalty kicks to decide the contest. Milan striker Andrei Shevchenko needed to score to stave off one of the most famous defeats in European football — but when his penalty was saved those in red danced their way through the night in utter disbelief.
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The Champions League’s greatest comebacks 15 photos
Sealed with a kiss – Gerrard lifted the cup and even took it to bed with him after the game following the dramatic victory. As for Milan, midfielder Andrea Pirlo summed it up best in his autobiography. “There are always lessons to be found in the darkest moments,” he wrote. “It’s a moral obligation to dig deep and find that little glimmer of hope or pearl of wisdom. You might hit upon an elegant phrase that stays with you and makes the journey that little bit less bitter. I’ve tried with Istanbul and haven’t managed to get beyond these words: For f**** sake.”
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The Champions League’s greatest comebacks 15 photos
United blown away – After a 1-1 draw in the first leg of its 1999 Champions League semifinal against Manchester United, Juventus looked certain to book a place in the final after a rapid start in the return match. The Italian side flew into a two-goal lead in the opening 11 minutes to move ahead 3-1 on aggregate.
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The Champions League’s greatest comebacks 15 photos
The fightback – Roy Keane, United’s midfield enforcer, picked up a booking which would rule him out of the final if United somehow managed to produce a famous victory. That disappointment didn’t appear to affect the captain though and he headed his side back into the tie with 24 minutes played.
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The Champions League’s greatest comebacks 15 photos
King Cole – United, trailing 2-1, hit back to level before the break through Dwight Yorke to ensure it led on the away goals rule. And with just seven minutes remaining, Andy Cole pounced to fire United into its first final in 31 years, where the English club defeated Bayern Munich 2-1 deep into added time.
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The Champions League’s greatest comebacks 15 photos
Singing the blues – In 2012, Chelsea needed to overturn a 3-1 first-leg deficit from its last-16 tie with Napoli. The Blues were in crisis, with head coach Andre Villas-Boas having been sacked and caretaker boss Roberto Di Matteo put in charge of first-team affairs. Whatever its problems, Chelsea made light work of its task at Stamford Bridge, moving into a two-goal lead before Napoli pulled one back. Frank Lampard’s penalty took the game to extra-time before Branislav Ivanovic rifled home a dramatic winner. Chelsea went on to defeat Bayern Munich on penalties in the final.
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The Champions League’s greatest comebacks 15 photos
Can they do it? – So can Bayern overturn a 3-0 deficit? Will they do the impossible? Let us know what you think on Twitter @CNNFC and on our Facebook page. One thing is for sure — you won’t want to miss this game.
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Who will win the Champions League this year? Have your say on CNN FC’s Facebook page
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