Game over at the Bernabeu and Inter Milan are European champions for the thrid time in their history. Not a great game by any means, but decorated by two finishes of real quality by Diego Milito. That’s the treble completed by Inter, which for some reason George Hamilton hasn’t managed to correlate with 99′. José is on the pitch, taking all the plaudits after winning the Champions League for the second time as a manager. He’ll be back in Madrid next season, what a prospect that is. That’s all from me folks, be sure to tune in to JOE tomorrow for our coverage of all the GAA championship action.
Final score Inter Milan 2-0 Bayern Munich.
Sorry Milito was, but Cambiasso wasn’t included in the final cut, which is still madness!
The hero of the hour, Diego Milito is withdrawn to rapturous applause and is replaced by Marco Matterazzi, so at least an Italian player will have featured for an Italian side. Milito was fabulous, man of the match and like his team mate Cambiasso can’t even make the Argentinian squad for the world cup. Madness.
George makes another reference to 99′ this time because three minutes injury time have been alotted. Give it up George.
George Hamilton makes the obligatory reference to the 1999 Champions League final, when Bayern Munich fell to two injury time goals from Manchester United. Not going to happen this time around.
Arjen Robben keeps at it, this tme down the left wing but his pull back is too high for both Klose and Gomez and they ain’t small. Five minutes left in Madrid and the tie is slowly petering to a close.
Free kick to Bayern on the edge of the area. Schweinsteiger and Robben lining up to take it. Robben hits it straight into the wall. Doesn’t look like it’s going to happen for the Germans.
Bayern to their credit are continuing to pile on the pressure, but Lucio and co are dealing comfortably with what they have to offer.
Mario Gomez about to come on for Bayern. With less than twenty minutes to get at least two goals, van Gaal is as well to gamble big at this stage. Ivica Olic replaced.
Totally against the run of play, Milito grabs his 30th of the season, his second of the game and more than likely, the Champions League for his side. Eto’o fed the Argentine on the left and he had Demichelis in knots before calmly finishing to the far corner. Wonderful goal.
GOAL!!! Inter 2-0 Bayern (Milito 70 mins)
Chivu is taken off before he runs the risk of being sent off with Mourinho sending Stankovic in his place. Javier Zanetti has taken Chivu’s place at left back.
Robben goes close, bending his effort around Chivu searching for the far corner but Cesar is equal to it. Inter will be caught out if they continue like this for much longer.
Robben drills in a free kick and it eventually falls for Muller but he mishits his effort and Cambiasso clears. All Bayern at the moment.
Klose comes on for Altintop for Bayern.
Chivu has brought down Robben yet again, although Pandev helped him out this time. Surely it can’t be long before he sees red.
Bayern seeing a lot of the ball now and mostof their joy is down the flanks, particularly Robben’s. Altintop drills a cross over from the left this time but it’s a perfect height for Cesar who claims it easily.
Chivu looks a shell of man when faced with Robben at full pace. The Romanian incidentally, is wearing a scrum cap after recently recovering from a fractured skull…ouch.
Far more open in the second half already, which you hope will lead to more goals. Good attacking options on the bench for both sides. Gomez and Klose for Bayern while Stankovic and the temperamental Balotelli may yet feature for Inter.
What an opening to the second half. Inter go right down the other end and once again Milito is brilliant, cutting in from the left and laying it off to Pandev, is effort is brilliantly tipped over the bar by Butt. More of the same please.
Straight away, Bayern have a chance to equalise. Inter’s players took their time to come out and it seems some of their minds were still in the dressing room as van Bommel put Muller in the clear but the young striker’s effort was straight at Cesar.
Two dutchmen are at the centre of the half time discussion in the RTE studio. Ronnie, John and Eamon are all in the agreement that Inter need to get Sneijder on the ball more and that Robben should continue to get at Chivu who is ‘an accident waiting to happen’. Hard to disagree, Game’s back on in Madrid.
Diego Milito celebrates his goal with Maicon
Not the greatest of games but Inter firmly in the driving seat. They haven’t played great but caught Bayern with a sucker punch on the break. Bayern look vulnerable at the back and if things keep going the way they are, Inter will definitely score again. Robben the main threat for Bayern, the rest of their attack not getting any change from a typically stingy Inter defence. It’s Inter’s to lose at this stage.
Half time at the Bernabeu.
Sneijder with a great chance to make it 2-0. Milito was the provider this time picking it up on the left and laying it off for Sneijder on the run. He hit it first time but it was straight at Butt. If he got that before the break it could have been curtains for Bayern.
Robben remains Bayern’s greatest threat, he cuts in from the right this time and fires one over the bar. It was well off target but a good effort all the same. Cambiasso and Zanetti now giving Chivu a lot more help to stop Robben.
Inter hadn’t shown much ambition before the goal so they’re hardly going to start now, especially with Bayern looking so vulnerable on the break. Eto’o almost got in for another, but his touch on edge of the box was poor.
Was just about to say that we have had no real chances of note and then Inter go and take the lead. Extremely simple goal, clearance by Julio Cesar fell to Sneijder and the Dutchman thread a lovely through ball to Milito, who delayed slightly before lifting it over Butt. Lovely finish, his fifth in the competition this season. 1-0 Inter
GOAL!!! Inter 1-0 Bayern (Milito 35 mins)
Chivu with yet another foul on Robben and the Romanian is finally given a yellow card. Robben having plenty of joy on the right and will no doubt continue to plague Chivu who will be walking a tightrope from now on.
Sneijder has another go from a free kick a good 35 yards out. The ball bounces right in front of Butt and he does well to hold on to it.
Inter’s formation is very much a 4-5-1. Pandev is in the right wing, Eto’o on the left with Cambiasso and Zanetti lying deep behind Sneijder in the centre of the park. Milito on his own up front, Inter look like they’ll try and catch Bayern on the break.
Robben with a chance for Bayern. Good combination between Muller and Olic on the edge of the area, the ball fell kindly for Robben but the Dutchman blazed it well over the bar. Still probably the most dangerous player on show so far.
Sneijder goes close from a free kick which deflects off Altintop and Butt does well to save, first proper effort for Inter.
Very niggly so far, a lot of fouls and it’s very stop-start.
Bayern players claiming a handball after Demichelis’ header was blocked. There was contact and Maicon’s hand was higher than it should have been. Let off for Inter.
Chivu in hard on Robben not for the first time tonight, but still no yellow from Howard Webb.
Bayern already looking to hit Robben at every opportunity, the Germans keeping the ball well so far.
Chance for Olic, Robben skinned Chivu on the right and pulled it back for Olic and the Croatian pulled it wide under pressure from Lucio.
Milito one on one with Demichelis but loses his footing at a crucial moment. Not the first player to do so in the game so far, surface is well watered.
Arjen Robben taken out of it on the right wing by Walter Samuel, who feigns innocence but is lucky to escape without a yellow. Mourinho dismisses the pain felt by his former player with a contemptuous shrug of the shoulders.
First test of Hans Jorg-Butt in the Bayern goal, a dangerous ball in from sneijder and the renowned penalty taker fists it away to safety.
It’s underway in Madrid.
Howard Webb is the man in the middle for tonight’s game. Regarded as the top man by Premier League chiefs, but he divides opinion amongst supporters like no man since Graham Poll.
The Bernabeu looks absolutely stunning. It’s often overlooked by outsiders because of the massive appeal of the Nou Camp in Spain, but it really is a smashing arena for football.
Loads of largely meaningless subplots to add some spice to tonight’s game. Van Gaal up against his former protege Mourinho, Lucio facing his old club, Sneijder and Robben return to the stadium they played in last year and Mourinho wil probably manage at next year. Not that any of those will have any affect on tonight’s game, but feel free to use them if you’re talking about the game in the pub later on.
On RTE, Tony O’Donoghue is chatting to renowned Spanish journalist Guillem Ballague pitch side, who assures him that Mourinho will be officially announced as Real Madrid manager next week. We all knew it was going to happen anyway, but when somebody tells Tony O’Donoughue, you know it’s a certainty.
Chivu in for the suspended Motta for Inter Milan and Javier Zanetti will shift into midfield. Altintop comes in for Ribery on Bayern’s right wing and Badstuber starts at left back.
Teams:
Bayern Munich: Butt, Lahm, Van Buyten, Demichelis, Badstuber, Robben, Van Bommel, Schweinsteiger, Altintop, Muller, Olic. Subs: Rensing, Gorlitz, Klose, Pranjic, Contento, Gomez, Tymoschuk.
Inter Milan: Julio Cesar, Maicon, Lucio, Samuel, Chivu, Zanetti, Cambiasso, Eto’o, Sneijder, Pandev, Milito. Subs: Toldo, Cordoba, Stankovic, Muntari, Mariga, Materazzi, Balotelli.
Evening folks. I hope you’ve all enjoyed the fine weather today. Time to kick back, put the feet up and let JOE bring you all the events from the Bernabeu as they happen. Inter Milan the hot favourites, but you should know by now that you can never, ever, write off the Germans. More than likely Mourinho’s last game with Inter and he’ll probably end up at Real next season. Can he go out on a high? We shall see…
