TheCable

Bayern Munich have battered Barcelona 8-2 to book a spot in the UEFA Champions League (UEFA) semi-finals.

The match between the two top teams held in Lisbon on Friday night.

Bayern, five-time UCL winners and favourites to win this year’s tournament, became the first team to score eight goals in the UCL knockout stages with a majestic display that consigned a defensively-atrocious Barcelona to their worst defeat since 1946 — where they also conceded eight goals.

Thomas Muller got the goals rolling in on four minutes, exchanging passes with Robert Lewandowski before finding the bottom corner with his low shot.

Barcelona responded three minutes later through a David Alaba own goal. The Austrian defender of Nigerian heritage could only bundle Jordi Alba’s cross beyond his goalkeeper as he tried to prevent Luis Suarez from claiming a tap in.

Despite mild pressure from Lionel Messi, Bayern turned up the heat and scored three goals in nine minutes to blow away their disastrous opponents, many thanks to atrocious defending.

Sergi Roberto and Nelson Semedo contrived to lose the ball deep in their half and Serge Gnabry’s pass found Ivan Perisic who found the back of the net via a slight deflection to regain the lead on 22 minutes.

Gnabry made it 3-1 five minutes later with the former Arsenal youngster collecting Lewandowski’s lobbed pass to finish it off confidently under pressure.

A fourth goal duly arrived on 31 minutes, many thanks to atrocious defending.

Semedo lost the ball for the umpteenth time and Bayern worked it to Joshua Kimmich, with the full back crossing for Muller to dispatch his second goal of the night.

All four goals arrived in 27 minutes with Barcelona becoming the first team to concede four goals in the shortest time possible in the UCL.

Second half started the same way the first finished with Bayern dominant. It was, however, Barcelona that scored through Luis Suarez on 50 minutes. The Uruguayan collected a pass, slalomed past Boateng and slotted beyond Neuer into the bottom corner for 4-2

The thought of a Barcelona revival was extinguished six minutes later before Bayern ran riot with another four goals, starting with Kimmich converting a chance created by the brilliance of Alphonse Davies on 63 minutes.

The Canadian wonderkid dribbled Semedo, burned him for pace and held the ball until Kimmich made the run to finish off.

The Munich-based side brought on Philip Coutinho, and the Brazilian made the sixth goal for Lewandowski to score his 14th goal of the UCL season. He then converted the seventh with a low shot that had Andre ter Stegen, Barcelona goalkeeper, rooted to the spot.

Coutinho, on loan at Bayern from Barcelona, had the final word with his second goal — and eighth for Bayern — on 89 minutes with a close range shot much to the anger of the Barcelona contingent.

The win means the German side will face either Manchester City or Lyon in the final four.