Bayern Munich, Real stroll into quarterfinals
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LONDON (Reuters) – Beleaguered Arsenal manger Arsene Wenger reacted to his side’s humiliating 5-1 Champions League loss to Bayern Munich on Tuesday by blaming the referee.
Rather than criticize his players for another mauling by the ruthless German side, Wenger directed his frustration at Greek official Tasos Sidiropoulos whose performance he called “scandalous” after Arsenal had suffered a 10-2 aggregate defeat.
Wenger, out of contract at the end of the season and seemingly edging towards the exit door after nearly 21 years in charge, was angry that Theo Walcott was denied a penalty shortly after his goal had fueled hope of a miraculous comeback.
He accused Sidiropoulos of “killing” his side when sending off skipper Laurent Koscielny after the defender had conceded the penalty from which Robert Lewandowski leveled.
“I felt that we produced a performance with spirit and pride that we wanted and after that the story finished badly,” said Wenger, who has now presided over seven consecutive last-16 exits in the Champions League.
“We were unlucky tonight at 1-0 in the first half with a definite penalty on Walcott and in the second half the referee killed the game. After that it was very difficult,” the Frenchman added.
“The referee was very powerful tonight. Not only was it not a penalty but Lewandowski was also offside. On top of that he gives us a red card that killed us completely.
“I think it was unexplainable, it’s scandalous. Bayern are a good side but tonight they can say thanks to the referee.”
Wenger’s team has lost three of its last four Premier League games to slip out of the top four and some fans held banners calling on him to go at the end of the season.
“Stubborn, Stale, Clueless” read one placard while chants of “Arsene Wenger We Want You To Go” could be heard outside the ground.
Wenger, 67, cut a forlorn figure as Bayern ran riot in the final 20 minutes with Arjen Robben, Douglas Costa and two goals from Arturo Vidal inflicting the Gunners’ biggest home defeat in 19 years.
“The players did not let me down, the referee let us down,” Wenger said, rejecting any idea that his players had given up.
“We were in an impossible situation at 1-1 with 10 men, to have to score four goals against a team with their quality. We had to try but knew we would be hit on the counter-attack. If we didn’t go forward people would ask why.
“The final 20 minutes was difficult. We had no hope and Bayern can bring fresh players on.”
Arsenal can redeem itself in this weekend’s FA Cup quarterfinal against fifth-tier Lincoln City, but even lifting that trophy might not save Wenger.
Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright believes Wenger’s long reign at the London club is nearly over.
“With everything that’s going on you have to say it will take some sort of monumental effort for Arsenal to turn it around in terms of the drive and determination of the players,” Wright said.
“It feels like something is coming to an end.”
Read Madrid 3, Napoli 1
(Real wins 6-2 on aggregate) Meanwhile, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Deportivo Coruna are all likely to sympathize with Napoli after the Serie A side became the latest to be foiled by Sergio Ramos on Tuesday night.
The intimidating Real Madrid captain celebrated his 100th Champions League match with another rescue act to drag the title-holder out of a hole against Napoli and set up what turned out to be a comfortable 6-2 aggregate win.
“We suffered, but we got through it together,” Ramos told reporters. “If we knew the formula then everything would be very easy.
“Sometimes things don’t go as you have worked on them. It’s a game to reflect on, especially in the first period. Despite that, I’m happy to go through but we need to reflect on the errors we made.”
Napoli, trailing 3-1 from the first leg of the round-of-16 tie, was in the mood for an upset as it dominated the first half and took the lead through Dries Mertens.
But with Real wobbling, Ramos popped up to head an equalizer early in the second half and he produced another header six minutes later which deflected off Mertens and into the net.
A late Alvaro Morata strike sealed a 3-1 victory for the Spanish side, but Ramos’s heroics are a familiar story for Real fans who have become used to their captain’s timely interventions.
The most dramatic came in the 2014 Champions League final when he headed an equalizer in the third minute of stoppage time against Atletico Madrid and Real went on to win 4-1 in extratime.
Ramos, who gave Real the lead against the same opponent in last year’s final, repeated the trick in December when a towering 90th-minute header salvaged a 1-1 draw at arch-rival Barcelona.
Deportivo Coruna became the next victim when Ramos scored another last-gasp goal to give Real a 3-2 comeback win.
Bayern Munich has also been on the receiving end, with Ramos scoring twice in four minutes as Real won 4-1 at the usually impregnable Allianz Arena in the 2013-14 semifinal.
In all, the 30-year-old has scored 66 goals in his 12 seasons at Real.
His only disappointment on Tuesday was when UEFA awarded his second header as an own goal by Mertens.
“You’re joking,” he said. “They’ve taken away my brace.”
Even with the victory, Real coach Zinedine Zidane’s insistence on Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale featuring together is under scrutiny after the 11-time European champion was outplayed for long periods at Napoli.
Real’s expensively assembled attacking trio, nicknamed the “BBC,” made just seven passes between themselves during the come-from-behind win, with Ronaldo and Bale not passing to each other once.
Benzema reacted angrily to criticism of the attacking trio after the game, telling reporters: “They always focus on us three, but we don’t just score goals, we work very hard for the team, but every time there’s a bad game they blame us.”
Zidane also leapt to the defense of his forwards.
“I don’t agree that Bale didn’t help out the defense or that Cristiano didn’t help out on the wing, everyone is at fault for us not starting well,” he said.
Pressed on Real’s problems in the first half, the coach gave a curt response, saying: “We won 3-1 and that’s that.”