Bayern Munich came out on top in an entertaining Champions League

last-eight clash with Benfica, reaching the semi-finals with a 3-2

aggregate victory, after a second-leg 2-2 draw in Lisbon on Wednesday.

Pep Guardiola took his German champions to the Estadio Da Luz with a

1-0 first-leg lead thanks to Aruto Vidal’s early strike at the Allianz

Arena last week.

After a slow start to the game, Benfica drew back onto level terms in

the tie in the 27th minute, as Raul Jimenez escaped the Bayern defence

to nod past Manuel Neuer.

But Vidal smashed home his second goal of the quarter-final tie seven

minutes before half-time to leave Rui Vitoria’s Benfica needing two

unanswered goals to progress.

The tie appeared all but over shortly after the restart when Thomas Mueller pounced in trademark fashion.

Benfica did manage to create a grandstand finale of sorts through

Talisca’s set-piece, but it could have been more exciting had Bayern’s

Javi Martinez been sent off for the cynical foul that lead to the

free-kick.

Bayern though join Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Manchester City

in Friday’s semi-final draw, as coach Guardiola looks to sign off with a

treble of Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup titles before he

joins Man City at the end of the season.

“We’re satisfied because the Champions League is a very tough

competition. We’ve achieved our objective and now we want to get to the

final,” said Guardiola, who has now reached the semi-finals in all seven

of his campaigns as a coach.

“From what I read in Germany it would seem that if I leave without

winning the Champions League my work will have been incomplete.

“But for us, the coaches, the aim is always to win trophies.”

Five-time winners Bayern progress to the last four for the sixth time

in the last seven seasons, leaving their opponents without a semi-final

appearance in Europe’s premier club competition since 1990.

Benfica were

undisputed underdogs, and they started this match not just with a

deficit to overturn, but without three key forwards.

Top scorer Jonas, who has scored 32 goals this season, was ruled out

through suspension, while Nicolas Gaitan and Greek Kostas Mitroglou

failed to recover from injuries, meaning that the hosts had depleted

attacking options to choose from.

“We finished the game with five players aged between 18 and 21 on the

field. We have a team that fought toe to toe with Bayern,” said coach

Vitoria.

“We were up against a very strong team who score goals wherever they play and that made the difference.”

Roared on by the home crowd, the hosts started quickly and after

Vidal headed tamely at Ederson Moraes, Benfica struck almost from

nowhere.

Eliseu skipped forward from left-back, before chipping in a delicious

cross which was headed home by Jimenez for his third Champions League

goal of the season.

Bayern were rocked and Jimenez should have put Benfica in front on

aggregate just a couple of minutes after opening the scoring but the

former Atletico Madrid man stabbed a weak effort straight at Neuer.

Just when the Portuguese champions were starting to gain a measure of

control, Lahm’s cross was only palmed as far as Vidal by stand-in

goalkeeper Ederson, and the Chilean did the rest with a thumping

left-footed finish.

World Cup winner Mueller struck in the 53rd minute after Martinez

headed Xabi Alonso’s corner across the face of goal, to effectively seal

Bayern’s place in the semi-finals with his eighth goal in Europe this

term.

The Bavarians were given a huge slice of luck when Martinez hacked

down Benfica substitute Goncalo Guedes when the teenager was clean

through on goal, but only saw yellow.

Brazilian Talisca, who had also come off the bench, delightfully

curled the resulting free-kick out of Neuer’s reach and into the top

corner to give Benfica a glimmer of hope, but in the end they ran out of

steam.