THE RISE OF THE GERMAN MACHINES: THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA?

This has certainly been one of the most scintillating Champion League weeks ever. More so, as we are at the most sensitive of stages at the European competition - the semi-final knock outs. Without doubt, these last four teams have been the best teams so far in this competition which is heading toward an unbelievable conclusion.

Enter Barcelona at the Allianz Arena. This class which is composed of the cream of the Euro and World Cup winning Spanish national team and probably the greatest footballer to ever have graced the game have arguably been the best team in the world in the past four years, winning the UCL at least three times in the last ten years.

Enter their hosts, Bayern Munich who have shown quality over the years but haven't seemed to have the luck. Since their painful loss to Manchester United at the Nou Camp in the 1999, they won it in 2001 at the San Siro in Milan and have featured prominently in four more finals since then, the last being against Chelsea last year. The team has been under massive construction with the influx of the new generation of young German players who are highly touted to be the next world champions in football.

Both sides went into the game with full fire power with the blessed triumvirate of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi having being spectacular all season despite taking a few knocks and the German side having the prolific Mario Gomez who has been in good form, scoring 15 goals in his last 14 UCL appearances at the Allianz Arena. However, most people expected Bayern to perform well but still come short behind Barcelona. What nobody expected was the severe thrashing they meted out to the Blaugrana.

A disappointed Messi and Iniesta

It began with a bit of a controversy as Gerard Pique escaped handing a penalty to the hosts. However, it didn't stop Thomas Muller from getting a sumptuous header that put the Bavarians ahead. Prolific Mario Gomez added a second in the 49th minute with text book finishing. With a comfortable two-goal lead, they pressed on, not conceding possession to the Blaugrana in the back line and soon enough, Arjen Robben scored a beauty assisted by Muller with a controversial body check before Muller sealed a historical win when he added his second of the night.

Barcelona's chances of turning this around are slim as no team has ever lost the first leg of a Champions League/European Cup tie by four goals and progressed to the next round. While it would do no good to write Barcelona off totally, the odds to progress to the finals are heavily against them.

Just when we thought we had seen it all, enter Real Madrid at the Signal-Iduna-Park. The Blancos have been in spectacular form all season after getting the upper hand against their nemesis, despite losing the La Liga title to them; thanks to the tactical soundness of the special one, Jose Mourinho and the superb performance of talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, as well a better-bonded team. The Blancos went into the game with just a win in their last 7 semi-final away fixtures and one win in 24 away games in Germany in European competitions. The stats definitely didn't favour them but somehow, most expected the Spanish to dominate.

However, that was not to be as Borussia Dortmund seemed bent on exacting the same pummeling their fellow compatriots displayed on Tuesday. It was a game where we all expected to see Ronaldo at his best and he didn't disappoint but a certain Pole stole the show. Robert Lewandowski was on target in the 8th minute after sustained pressure on the Blancos as they struggled to find their footing in the game. As the game progressed, Madrid got a hand of the game but never really looked too dangerous except from set pieces.

Madrid got back in the game via a beautiful counter seized on by Gonzalo Higuain who laid up a beautiful pass for Ronaldo to score a confident goal 12th UCL goal in 11 appearances to level things just before half-time. Unfortunately, Dortmund didn't seem to be shaken by the equalizer as they started the second half with Lewandowski again punishing the Madrid defense in what many considered to be an off-side goal. The Pole was unrelentless as he took advantage of a shot that took a deflection and fell perfectly for him and with such skill and calm, he executed a perfect finish, hanging the ball at the roof of the net to seal his hat-trick; the first player to ever do so against Real Madrid in UCL history.

The Pole wasn't done. When an unnecessary shove from Xabi Alonso led to a penalty, it was Lewandowski again who stepped up and blasted through an unfortunate Lopez who had been spectacular, scoring his fourth of the evening. This is the first time in Champions League history that two teams have conceded four goals in one game in a set of semi-finals. However, Madrid have better hopes than their Spanish counterparts with an away goal in their bag.

The odds seem to favour an all German final rather than the El Classico we all had anticipated earlier. Could this be the end of the Spanish dominance, and the beginning of the domination of the German Machines in club football? The German Machines were most impressive at the last World Cup with so much potential for future domination which may have already begun in earnest. All indications point in that direction but only time will tell.

Malcolm O. Ifi.

Photo Credits: The Internet