Super Mario Sends Basel Crashing Out as Marseille Pip Inter Milan

Super Mario

For the second successive game, albeit different competitions, Bayern Munich scored seven goals past an opponent but the stakes were even higher in Tuesday night’s 7-0 rout of Basel.

The Bavarians, having battered Hoffenheim 7-1 at the weekend needed to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Swiss side Basel in their Champions League round of 16 second leg encounter.

Playing in front of a capacity home crowd at the Allianz Arena, Bayern made it clear that they meant business by surging ahead only after 11 minutes. Toni Kroos’ shot was deflected into the path of Arjen Robben and the flying Dutchman had no trouble burying the opener.

Thomas Muller volleyed in the second in the 42^nd minute after being picked by Frank Ribbery. The two goals just served to be pace-setters for Mario Gomez who then made the show his own.

His first came when he tapped in Holger Badstuber’s cutback just a minute before the interval.

The in-form striker scored his second just 5 minutes into the second half hitting a volley from a Ribery cross past Basel custodian Yann Sommer. Ribery was menacing in his dribbles and deliveries as was Gomez in his finishing and the two combined again on the hour mark, with Gomez heading in the Frenchman’s cross to complete his second hat-trick in two games.

With Bayern leading 5-0 and surely no way back for the brave Swiss side that knocked out Manchester United, Ribery and Gomez combined again. Ribery made his customary mazy runs down the left wing, beat his marker before cutting back for his accomplice Gomez to whack in his fourth into the top corner. With that, he became the first German to score a quarter of goals

Arjen Robben finished what he had started by rounding Sommer before coolly slotting in his second and Bayern’s seventh nine minutes before the final whistle as Ottmar Hitzfeld’s side edged into the crucial quarterfinals stage and much closer to the final which will be held at their own Allianz arena in May.

Meanwhile Olympique Marseille qualified for the quarters  in spite of going down 2-1 at Inter Milan. The French side reached the last eight on away goals after trouncing Inter 1-0 a fortnight ago. Diego Milito scrambled home the Nerrazuri’s opener after 75minutes of football to make it 1-1 on aggregate.

However, as the game looked like it was heading for extra time, Brandao struck. The Brazilian benefited from Lucio’s poor clearance and struck the ball past Julio Ceasar in the 92^nd minute to send the home crowd agape.

The drama was barely over as Giampalo Pazzini was felled in the box by Steve Mandanda and the referee awarded a penalty and a red card to the Marseille ‘keeper. Pazzini stepped forward and convincingly beat substitute goalkeeper Gennaro Bracigliano but this proved a mere consolation as Didier Deschamp’s men strolled into the quarters on away goals rule.

And That's thesteifmastertake!!