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After the first two UEFA Champions League quarter-final matches, two favorites have emerged in the race for a spot in the semi-finals - "Liverpool" crushed "PSV" club in an away game and closely approached their goal, while "Bayern" also snatched a valuable draw away against "Milan".
In Eindhoven's "Philips" stadium, "PSV" hosted the "Liverpool" team. The first danger arose around 20 minutes into the game when "Liverpool" defender Jamie Carragher's header was deflected by "PSV" goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes.
But a few minutes later, the hosts also created an opportunity when striker Mika Varynen's shot flew over the crossbar. In the 27th minute, the visitors took the lead when after a Steve Finnan pass from the right, "Liverpool" captain Steven Gerrard directed the ball into the net with a precise header.
Just four minutes into the second half, the second goal of the match fell into the "PSV" net. Defender Timmy Simons made a childish mistake near his penalty area and Norwegian guest player John Arne Riise took advantage, sending a precise shot from about 20 meters into the top corner of the goal.
"PSV" threw experienced forward Patrick Kluivert into the battle, but even that did not help as in the 63rd minute, after a superb S. Finnan pass, the towering Peter Crouch's header left no chance for H. Gomes and sealed the victory for the visitors.
After this convincing win, the Rafael Benitez coached visitors are a step closer to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, while for "PSV" to seek revenge at Anfield, they would need to score 4 goals unanswered.
In the other semi-final match in Milan, "Milan" locked horns with Munich's "Bayern". Just a few minutes into the game, "Milan" defender Clarence Seedorf had a great opportunity but failed to direct the ball into the far corner of the goal after a Marek Jankulovski pass from the left.
After some time, the hosts could push forward, but Massimo Ambrosini's header was excellently saved by "Bayern" goalkeeper Michael Rensing, who replaced the disqualified Oliver Kahn in goal. "Milan" continued to press the visitors from Munich. Alberto Gilardino's header was again denied by M. Rensing, and then he saved his team from Massimo Oddo's attack.
However, in the 40th minute of the game, the hosts finally found the net when after an M. Oddo pass, Italy national team's defender Andrea Pirlo sent the ball into the goal with a header.
Seven minutes into the second half, another goal fell into the "Bayern" net when A. Gilardino scored, but the linesman flagged for offside. A few minutes later, Brazilian Kaka missed a fantastic chance, shooting wide of the goal after an M. Ambrosini pass.
But everything turned upside down when with just 12 minutes left in the game, the visitors managed to equalize. After a Claudio Pizarro pass, defender Daniel van Buyten scored a goal from just a few meters away.
However, that was not all. In the 84th minute, Kaka was brought down in the penalty area by "Bayern" defender Lucio, and Russian referee Yuri Baskakov awarded a penalty. The injured player stepped up to the spot and sent M. Rensing to the opposite corner, putting "Milan" ahead. It seemed that the Italian club would not let go of the victory, but in added time, D. van Buyten managed to secure very important equalizing goal for his team.
After these high-scoring draws, "Bayern" hopes of reaching the tournament semi-finals became more convincing, as the club only needs to draw at home while "Milan" will only settle for a win as they travel away.
Results of Tuesday's quarter-finals:
0 - 3
27' [0 - 1] Steven Gerrard
49' [0 - 2] John Arne Riise
63' [0 - 3] Peter Crouch
2 - 2
40' [1 - 0] Andrea Pirlo
78' [1 - 1] Daniel van Buyten
84' [2 - 1] Kaka
90+3' [2 - 2] Daniel van Buyten
