Lucky 13 for Bayern as controversial Klose strikes

MUNICH, Germany: Bayern Munich take a slender 2-1 lead into their Champions League last-16 second leg against Fiorentina after a controversial Miroslav Klose goal handed the German giants a 13th straight win.

Klose headed home in the 89th minute after a long-range shot from Dutch international winger Arjen Robben had run loose but replays showed the German striker was yards offside.

The strike gives the Bundesliga outfit plenty to do when the two sides meet in Florence on March 9, with the Italians clinging on to a precious away goal, gifted to them by a defensive comedy of errors from the usually tight Germans.

After the game, Klose said he was offside, saying: "I haven't seen the replay yet but I felt like I was offside."

Bayern's coach, Louis van Gaal, said he could understand the furious reaction of the Italians when the goal went in.

"Yes, it was offside. I would also have been very angry but I think the referee had a very difficult match," he said.

Van Gaal paid tribute to the Serie A outfit which had been widely written off before the game, coming into the match without a win in its past five matches and slipping to a disappointing 11th place in the league.

"Tactically, they played very well. We ran too much with the ball and hit too many long balls. Fiorentina really had no chances but still managed to score a goal and that is disappointing," he said.

Bayern Munich president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge also acknowledged his team's good fortune, but said it would head to Florence full of confidence.

"We have won. We can be happy and we can fly with optimism to Florence," he said. "Yes, it was offside ... we were lucky to get such a goal, but it was deserved," he added.

Understandably, the Italians saw the situation differently.

"How can this happen in the last 16 of the Champions League? I could see it was offside from the bench," fumed Italian international midfielder Riccardo Montolivo.

Klose's controversial header was the culmination of a frantic last 20 minutes which produced a myriad of chances for the home side as it pressed hard for the winning goal against an Italian team reduced to 10 men.

After 72 minutes, defender Massimo Gobbi was handed a straight red card for a blatant elbow in Robben's throat.

Bayern took the lead on the stroke of halftime through a Robben penalty, his sixth goal in as many games but the first in this season's Champions League campaign.

The spot kick, awarded after Bayern's French star Franck Ribery was unceremoniously upended in the penalty area, capped a largely frustrating first half as Bayern struggled to break down a well-organized Italian defense.

But Bayern's joy was short-lived as a defensive mix-up handed Fiorentina an equalizer five minutes after the restart.

The German giants failed to clear a corner and Fiorentina's Danish international defender Per Kroldrup pounced in the ensuing goalmouth scramble, toe-poking the ball home from close range.

In a desperate quest for a winner, van Gaal rang the changes with a double substitution after 65 minutes, pulling off Gomez and Thomas Mueller and bringing on Klose and Croatia's Ivica Olic.

AFP

(China Daily 02/19/2010 page11)