Olić completes comeback – what the German papers say

The Sport Review takes a look at the German media’s reaction to Bayern Munich’s 2-1 victory over Manchester United in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

“Bayern Madness”

SportBild describes the dramatic match which gave Bayern the advantage ahead of the return leg at Old Trafford next Wednesday. Rooney’s early opener showered the Allianz Arena in gloom but Ribéry and Olić struck late to prevent a second defeat to Manchester United.

The article inevitably refers to the catastrophic collapse of 1999, suggesting that final at the Camp Nou was Bayern’s ‘Schlimmste Pleite aller Zeiten’ — worst failure of all time.

Olić describes the clash as the “biggest game” in his time at Bayern, meanwhile manager, Louis Van Gaal, remarked that after the early setback his side played “unbelievable football against a top team.”

“Olić strikes to cheat the nightmare”

Kicker suggests that the 1999 final haunted both teams last night.

“History was repeated” but only on this occasion it was the German team who produced a remarkable turnaround in the final quarter of the match. “A fateful blunder” from United left back Patrice Evra allowed Olić to nip past the stationary defender and slot the ball past van der Sar.

“Against the nightmare”

Once again a referral to that infamous night in Barcelona over ten years ago. It was the “biggest nightmare” in Bayern’s history which “will never be forgotten”. However, events in Munich last night went some way to “working off” the haunting memories.

Bayern chairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, calmly noted that Bayern “have to take their small chance of making the semi-final.”

Der Tagesspiegel ends the article with a word of warning issued by Sir Alex Ferguson. The wily Scot promised a better performance at Old Trafford and reminded the jubilant Germans that the English side do, after all, have an away goal.