Bayern Munich beat Lyon to reach Champions League final

Lisbon, Aug 20 (IANS): Bayern Munich defeated Olympique Lyonnais 3-0 to secure a place in the UEFA Champions League 2020 final.

Having beaten Barcelona 8-2 in the quarterfinal, Bayern on Wednesday arrived into the semifinal as heavy favourites and did not disappoint, though Lyon made life difficult for them in the opening stages, reports Xinhua news agency.

The French side started the game well, filling the spaces and not allowing Bayern midfielders Thiago Alcantara and Leon Goretzka time and space on the ball.

Lyon even hit the post in the 16th minute, with striker Memphis Depay wasting what might have been the first goal of the game.

Lyon were made to pay for Depay’s profligacy immediately afterwards as Serge Gnabry received a long throw from Joshua Kimmich and dribbled past three opponents before rifling an unstoppable shot past Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes.

Bayern doubled their lead shortly afterwards when Ivan Perisic drilled a cross into the box, and although Robert Lewandowski’s effort hit Lopes, Gnabry was on hand to tap home the rebound to make it 2-0 after 32 minutes.

Lyon coach Rudi Garcia rang the changes at half-time, but his side was unable to overcome Bayern’s dominance, and Lewandowski made sure of the result in the dying minutes when he headed home Benjamin Pavard’s cross.

Bayern will now face French champions Paris Saint-Germain in Sunday’s final when the German side will be looking to win their sixth European Cup title.