Twice Near Death, Bayern Manages Miracle(s)

A Bayern Munich side far from their best play of the season made not 1, but 2 stunning comebacks in Spain against UEFA Cup Quarterfinal opponents Getafe to advance to the Semifinals of the 2nd highest competition in European Cup football. An early red card to Getafe should have provided all the enthusiasm the Bavarians needed, but instead they came out flat, giving up a goal just before the stroke of halftime to go down 1-2 on aggregate.

Still, they needed only one goal to save them thanks to away goals, but they never looked much like scoring. Truth be told, it was Getafe who should have put the tie away with a golden, wide-open opportunity missed midway through the 2nd half. However, just when the Germans looked to suffer a shocking upset to the Spanish side, a flick of the ball from Luca Toni back to Ribéry salvaged the contest and levelled the match - in the 89th minute no less.

Down a man and having conceded a shock leveler at the death, Getafe seemed down and out. They quickly changed their luck and outlook on progression through the competition with a 3 minute flurry of activity that saw the Spaniards net 2 goals in the first 3 minutes of extra time to take a 3-1 lead on the night (4-2 overall). The raucous fans at the Alberto Perez Coliseum sensed victory within their grasp, and the German outfit continued to look ineffective.

The remainder of the 1st extra period went by without issue for Getafe, as did the first 10 minutes of the 2nd period. Five minutes from victory, however, Keeper Pato dropped a seemingly routine catch allowing Italian striker Luca Toni to tap in, bringing the match to 3-2. A chainsaw would have been needed to cut through the tension in the stadium, and the Germans proved it in the dying seconds as Luca Toni picked up a brace with a header off a Sosa cross leveling the match at 3-3 and giving Munich the away goals lead. A dagger was pierced through the hearts of the Spanish fans in attendance only a few seconds later as the final whistle was blown, and the German giants escaped to face Zenit St. Petersburg in the semifinals.

FINAL BOX

Getafe            3 - 3     Bayern Munich
  Contra 44                   Ribéry 89
  Casquero 1 Ex.              Toni 25 Ex.
  Braulio  3 Ex.              Toni 30 Ex.