Red for Xabi but Bayern hold out
XABI ALONSO was sent off on his 100th Champions League appearance as Bayern Munich survived a tricky trip to Ukraine.
The 31- year- old Spanish midfi elder was given his marching orders in the 65th minute for a trip on Taison as the Shakhtar Donetsk star moved menacingly on goal.
Alonso should have known better but allowed himself to pick up his second yellow card of a match that started promisingly but degenerated into a scrappy affair marked by petty fouls and eight bookings.
But even with 10 men, Bayern rarely looked in danger and the odds are fi rmly on them making yet another quarterfi nal.
All the emotion was with Shakhtar as they played their fi rst competitive match since December in Lviv, 750 miles from home, after the suspension of the Ukranian League and their forced move from Donetsk during the strife besetting the east of the country.
Their fans roared them on with patriotic chants as they set about giving fi ve- times European champions Bayern a tough time.
Bayern, though, as befi ts a team coming off an 8- 0 thrashing of Hamburg last Saturday, dominated the fi rst 20 minutes.
But they had little to show for their efforts other than a Thomas Muller chance that the Germany star should have put away after a superb run and pass from Arjen Robben set him up.
They also could have done with the calming infl uence of skipper Philipp Lahm, out until March with a broken ankle.
Shakhtar grew into the game but Brazilian striker Luiz Adriano, Europe’s top scorer in the competition this season with nine goals, was kept quiet.