Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich powered in a 63rd-minute header to give the Germans a 1-0 victory over Arsenal in the Champions League last night and send them through to the semi-finals for the first time in four years with a 3-2 aggregate win.
Germany international Kimmich timed his run into the box perfectly to connect with a Raphael Guerreiro cross and put Bayern, who had earlier hit the woodwork twice from a double chance, in the driving seat following a 2-2 first-leg draw.
The Bavarians, enduring their worse domestic season in more than a decade after failing to win both the Bundesliga title and the German Cup, will next face Real Madrid in the last four.
There was little to separate the two sides in a cautious first half with Bayern threatening early with two shots from striker Harry Kane, who had scored in the first leg.
Arsenal, bidding to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2009, were almost caught on the break in the 23rd minute when Noussair Mazraoui’s cutback after a quick turn of pace was palmed wide by David Raya. The Arsenal keeper also blocked a Jamal Musiala shot a minute later as Bayern had a brief spell of pressure in the first half.
The best chance, however, fell to Arsenal in the 32nd with Gabriel Martinelli’s first-time shot, after good work from Martin Odegaard, going straight to keeper Manuel Neuer, who set a competition record with his 58th clean sheet.
The hosts went close straight after the restart with Leon Goretzka’s header bouncing off the crossbar before Guerreiro hit the post with a shot on the rebound.
But they gradually upped the pressure against a toothless Arsenal and Kimmich charged into the box and drilled his header past Raya.
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta made several substitutions but they could not find a way into the German box and had no real scoring chances in the second half with Bayern remaining disciplined and in control of the game.
The defeat caps a disappointing four days for Arteta’s team after their Premier League title challenge suffered a blow with their loss to Aston Villa on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s Antonio Rudiger scored the decisive penalty to lift his team to an edge-of-your-seat 4-3 shootout victory over holders Manchester City after their quarter-final tie finished 4-4 on aggregate following a 1-1 draw in the second leg.
City’s Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic both misfired in the shootout to put Madrid in the driving seat and Rudiger slotted their final effort past keeper Ederson to extinguish City’s dreams of a second treble.
After the teams had slugged out a thrilling 3-3 draw in the first leg, Madrid, who have hoisted the Champions League trophy a record 14 times, took the lead in the tie when Rodrygo stunned the Etihad crowd with a goal in the 12th minute.
That was Madrid’s final shot on target on a night that City had 68 per cent possession, but the home side squandered chance after chance before Kevin De Bruyne finally drew them level in the 76th.
That took the tie to extra time but City could not muster a winning goal, leaving Madrid to seal their semi-final berth against Bayern.
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