LONDON (AP) -- Bayern Munich moved closer to the group stage of the Champions League on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over FC Zurich.
Dinamo Zagreb, Maccabi Haifa, Odense and Wisla Krakow also won the first leg of their playoffs.
Bastian Schweinsteiger and Arjen Robben scored in Munich to put four-time European champion Bayern within sight of the lucrative group stage.
Bayern has failed to reach the Champions League only once since 1997 but is in the playoffs because it missed out on automatic qualification by slumping to third in last season's German league.
Dinamo Zagreb racked up the night's biggest win with a 4-1 victory over Malmo; Maccabi Haifa beat Genk 2-1; Odense upset Spain's Villarreal 1-0, and Wisla Krakow defeated APOEL 1-0.
With May's Champions League final set to be held in Munich and an estimated $29 million to be gained just by reaching the main tournament, Bayern had plenty of incentive to beat the runner-up in the Swiss league.
But the powerhouse failed to impress for long spells in front of 66,000 sometimes jeering fans at the Allianz-Arena and led only because of Schweinsteiger's eighth-minute goal for much of the match. Schweinsteiger headed the ball in unmarked.
France winger Franck Ribery hit the post with a free kick in the second half as Bayern missed a host of chances.
Mario Gomez was particularly unsuccessful in front of the goal, attempting to get through three defenders before having another shot blocked. The Germany striker, the Bundesliga's top scorer last season with 28 goals, also collected a pass from Schweinsteiger but hesitated in front of the goal to allow the retreating defender to clear.
Robben finally got an insurance goal, taking a pass from Gomez with one touch and curling a shot past Johnny Leoni in the 72nd.
The return leg will take place in Zurich next Tuesday, when Bayern will have to be careful.
Although Bayern has twice won through qualifying - in 1998 and 2002 - Zurich has Champions League experience, having made the group stage for the only time in 2009. The Swiss team failed to progress but won 1-0 at AC Milan and held the Italian giant to a 1-1 draw in the return.
Jorge Sammir scored twice to lead Dinamo Zagreb to a victory that all but assures the Croatian team of a place in the group stage. Weaam Amasha and Vladimir Dvalishvili gave Israel's Maccabi a slender advantage over Belgian squad Genk.
Midfielder Hans Henrik Andreasen scored with six minutes left for Odense.
Wisla Krakow has a chance to reach the group stage following six failed attempts after Patryk Malecki cut inside and rifled in a 71st-minute goal for the Polish league champions.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/soccer/08/17/Bayern.Zurich.ap/index.html?eref=si_latest
Goodell Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Players Association Mike Tomlin Super Bowl
No comments:
Post a Comment