Bayern 6-1 Porto: Rain of goals at Allianz Arena

Coach Pep Guardiola's team did not give Porto a chance to make a surprise when they quickly finished off their opponents in the first half.

Lewandowski scored twice against Porto. Photo: Reuters.

Bayern were five goals up at half-time to secure a place in the semi-finals. Thiago Alcantara opened the scoring for Bayern in the 14th minute before Jerome Boateng, Thomas Muller and Lewandowski netted twice in the opening 45 minutes.

In the second half, Jackson Martinez pulled one back for Porto, but the red card for midfielder Ivan Marcano later made the visitors lose hope of turning the game around. The match ended with Xabi Alonso scoring the final goal of the game in the 88th minute.

The victory at home at the Allianz Arena helped Bayern beat Porto 7-4 on aggregate and join Barca as the first two teams to reach the semi-finals of this year's Champions League.

Porto held a huge advantage with a 3-1 win in the first leg but back at the Allianz Arena, Bayern were back to their true form and class. The German side controlled the entire game, attacking relentlessly and forcing Porto's defence to expose gaps before finally dispatching their opponents.

Bayern completed the minimum target after only 22 minutes with two headers from Alcantara and Boateng. At a time when the storm of injuries raged, taking away the pillars, Alcantara's return was the savior of coach Pep Guardiola. The Spanish midfielder scored to keep hope in the first leg and now opened the door for Bayern's victory in the second leg. Alcantara's explosive performance seemed to make up for more than a year of being sidelined due to a knee injury. The 24-year-old midfielder showed the perfect replacement for his senior Schweinsteiger in the midfield at this time.

Thiago Alcantara knows how to shine in difficult times. Photo: Reuters.

Meanwhile, the two early goals almost shocked Porto because they lost the advantage so quickly. Porto started the game with a defensive style of play, but the Portuguese team showed that they were good at attacking but not excellent at stopping their opponents. Coach Julen Lopetegui's team used their weaknesses to counter Bayern's strengths and had to accept defeat.

Statistics show that Porto did not have a single shot in the first half. Even the player who scored twice in the first leg, Quaresma, had to be present at home to defend. However, on a day when Porto lost both of their main defenders, Danilo and Alex Sandro, the two wings became Bayern's own territory. Coach Lopetegui even had to replace right-back Diego Reyes after only the first 33 minutes when he saw Bernard destroy the wing he was in charge of.

On Bayern's side, Holger Badstuber's return gave the defence confidence after Dante's disastrous performance in Portugal. His partner Boateng even made up for his mistake by scoring to make it 2-0. After the two early goals, Bayern played like they were playing in practice and it was clearest in the third goal combination between Lahm, Muller and Lewandowski. The ball passed through three players without touching the ground before landing in the Porto net.

Coach Guardiola found joy again with Bayern's performance in the second leg. Photo: Reuters.

Lewandowski continued to score his second goal with a neat cross-angle finish. If he had been luckier, the Polish striker could have had a hat-trick in this match after he hit the post in the Porto goal in the 10th minute. Luck did not go with Lewandowski but with the player next to him, Thomas Muller. The German striker scored to make it 4-0 after his shot hit Martins Indi's foot and changed direction into the Porto net.

Bayern beat Porto in the same way they have dominated Bundesliga teams in the past two seasons. Guardiola's men reminded everyone how dangerous they are when they found their groove again. The home team played as if to prove that the first leg loss was just a slip-up and they are still serious contenders for the title this season. This is the fourth consecutive season that Bayern have reached the Champions League semi-finals and are on track to repeat the great treble of 2013.

According to VNE