Arsenal eliminated from Champions League as April woes continue

Joshua Kimmich’s header powered Bayern Munich to a 1-0 win over Arsenal on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) to reach the Champions League semi-finals with a 3-2 victory on aggregate.

With the score at 2-2 from the first leg in London, Kimmich’s header off Raphael Guerreiro’s pinpoint cross put Bayern ahead in the 63rd minute as Bayern largely neutralised the English team’s attack.

Bayern kept alive their hopes of finishing the season with a trophy three days after Bayer Leverkusen ended their 11-year reign as German champions. Striker Harry Kane takes a step closer to what would be the first trophy of his career.

Bayern and Arsenal have been drawn together five times in the knockout stages of the Champions League since 2005 and the German team has eliminated Arsenal on each occasion.

Arsenal’s Champions League exit follows a heavy blow to their Premier League title ambitions in a 2-0 loss to Aston Villa on Sunday. Defeat also rules Arsenal out of next year’s Club World Cup in the United States.

Xavi fumes as Barcelona eliminated, Dortmund advance to semis

Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez berated the referee and said his performance cost Barcelona a chance to fight for a place in the Champions League semi-finals after they lost 4-1 to Paris Saint-Germain and were knocked out of the competition on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST).

After winning 3-2 in Paris last week and taking a 1-0 lead with an early Raphinha goal in the quarter-final second leg, Barca were down to 10 men just before the half-hour after last man Ronald Araujo was shown a red card for a foul on Bradley Barcola.

Xavi complained bitterly to referee Istvan Kovacs and ended up being shown a red card himself, which did not stop him going back to the pitch at the final whistle to voice his frustration again at the Romanian official after Barca’s 6-4 aggregate loss.

“The referee was really bad. I told him his performance was a disaster. I don’t like to talk about referees, but it had a clear impact in the season and it has to be said,” Xavi told Movistar Plus.

“We are very upset and angry because the red card was the decisive factor in the match. With 11 we were in a good position, playing well and in command.

“It’s too much to flash a red card in a game like this. There was another game after that … It is a pity that the work of the season was ruined by an unnecessary expulsion.”

After Araujo’s dismissal PSG took control of the match and former Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele fired home for the visitors in the 40th to equalise on the night and Vitinha put them ahead with a strike from the edge of the box in the 54th.

Joao Cancelo fouled Dembele in the 61st minute with a sliding tackle to concede a penalty that Kylian Mbappe fired into the top corner to move the visitors in front in the tie.

Five-time champions Barca, who last reached the semis five years ago, tried to find a goal to take the game to extra time but Mbappe made the most of a counterattack to score and wrap up a semi-final place against Borussia Dortmund, who beat Atletico Madrid 4-2 to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit.

Kylian Mbappe celebrates his penalty against Barcelona, the first of two goals for the French forward in their quarter-final second leg clash.

“We tried but today it was not to be,” Barca midfielder Frenkie De Jong told reporters. “It’s a big blow because we were convinced we could go through. We’ll have to try again next season.

“I didn’t see the play (in which Araujo was sent off). I just had the feeling that Barcola’s control went well ahead him and into the goalkeeper’s hands … We tried after that, but we couldn’t do any more.”

Dortmund, meanwhile, scored twice in the first half and looked to be cruising into the last four, but Atletico bounced back with two goals early in the second half to put them on the ropes before they dug deep to complete a superb comeback.

The game got off to a flying start, and midfielder Marcel Sabitzer was only prevented from putting the home side ahead in the third minute by a last-ditch block from Cesar Azpilicueta as the home side came flying out of the blocks.

Borussia Dortmund players celebrate in front of the famous yellow wall.

Julian Brandt put Dortmund level on aggregate in the 34th minute, latching on to a brilliant pass from Mats Hummels and firing home, and five minutes later Dortmund took the lead in the quarter-final tie as Ian Maatsen cut in from the left and drilled a perfectly-placed shot in at the foot of the far post.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone made a triple substitution at the break and it paid dividends almost immediately as Dortmund defender Hummels turned the ball into his own net in the 49th minute. Substitute Angel Correa put the Spaniards back in the lead in the tie in the 64th, scoring at the second attempt.

However, the home side struck back and striker Niclas Fuellkrug made it 4-4 on aggregate with a brilliant glancing header from Sabitzer’s cross in the 74th minute.

The home fans had barely retaken their seats following that goal when Sabitzer popped up on the edge of the box, steadying himself with an excellent first touch before drilling home the winner in front of an ecstatic crowd three minutes later.

“We played an incredibly good first half, then there was the extremely unfortunate goal conceded, (but) how we came back, wow,” delighted Dortmund coach Edin Terzic said in a TV interview.

AP/Reuters

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