FC Bayern stamped their ticket to the 2011-2012 Champions League Groups Stage today with a 1-0 victory over Zurich. A very efficient early goal gave us a 3-0 aggregate lead; with one away goal, Zurich would have needed four goals to beat us. As expected, it was mostly playing keep-away after that.
I actually didn't even see the only goal of the day, as I missed the first 10 minutes due to the earthquake. That's right. There was a fucking EARTHQUAKE in Washington, DC. I took this as a bad sign, but as it turns out Bayern took care of business. The goal was a nice Gomez finish - not a brilliant piece of skill, but he did manage to show a good first touch and set up a clean shot:
After that, I really don't think Bayern played very well. Kroos was forgettable, Ribery had a few moments but didn't change the game, and the defense didn't have much to do. But obviously there was no point in trying to create chances with a 3-0 aggregate lead, and it was a professional day of work put in. No point in worrying about it now. We took care of business, and now it's back to work this weekend vs. K'staulern.
Last year, fans were terrified that Bayern would miss out on the CL. That period in February and March when we were languishing in 4th place was a dark time. Everyone from goal.com to Sports Illustrated to the front page of The Offside was cracking on Bayern for flirting with the Europa League. So ... yeah. We're in the Champions League, and there ain't nothing Sports Illustrated can do about it.
More analysis tomorrow, and also a look at the transfer market. It appears Bayern is considering making a run at one more player before the August transfer period ends. We're going to go all over the rumors tomorrow, so e-mail us at bayern.offside@yahoo.com if you think there's anything we have to discuss.
For those who e-mailed me today: I'm flattered and touched. Everyone's fine. We're not used to earthquakes here, but no reports of deaths or bad injuries that I've heard. The only problem was missing the first 10 minutes of the game. Thanks for reading.