Israel Saria
Ivica Olic hit a hat-trick as Bayern Munich made light work of Lyon to win 3-0 on the night and 4-0 on aggregate as they moved into yet another Champions League final.
Bayern’s win continues their superb late-season form, which has seen them rise to the top of the Bundesliga and reach the showpiece match of Europe’s premier club competition for the eighth time.
The Bavarians will face either Internazionale or Barcelona as they bid for a fifth Champions League or European Cup title in Madrid on May 22.
Inter travel to the Camp Nou on Wednesday 3-1 ahead from the first leg.
Bayern led 1-0 from the first leg thanks to Arjen Robben’s goal and they never looked like giving it up against a Lyon side who looked a shadow of the team that beat Real Madrid in the first knockout round.
Croatia striker Olic dominated at Stade Gerland in what was a poor showing from the hosts who went down to 10 men on the hour mark but were faced by a Bayern missing suspended France winger Franck Ribery.
The German side – who were also the better team in the 1-0 first-leg home win – sought an away goal from kick-off and, after two misses by Thomas Mueller, were rewarded for their ambition when the young German played a one-two with Robben before sliding an excellent ball back to Olic, who turned and fired past Hugo Lloris to hand Lyon an uphill task on the 26th minute.
Louis van Gaal’s team were deservedly ahead, although Michel Bastos and second-half substitute Bafetimbi Gomis spurned good opportunities either side of the break.
Bastian Schweinsteiger fizzed a superb half-volley just over, while the France keeper made a good stop from Robben.
Olic missed an open net when his took his eye off a header when Lloris flapped from the subsequent corner as Bayern played a counter-attacking game that threatened to cut the hosts apart at times.
The match was over as a contest when Les Gones skipper Cris was shown two yellow cards in the space of 20 seconds, the first coming harshly for what seemed a good tackle on Olic but the second for ironically applauding the referee’s decision in a clear show of dissent.
Six minutes later it was 2-0 on the night when Olic fired a rasping drive under Lloris after his side caught Lyon on the break.
Claude Puel’s side were broken, Robben smashing a drive that Lloris barely kept out and Jean II Makoun nicking the ball away from Olic as he prepared to complete his treble with a quarter of an hour left.
The former Hamburg striker got his third two minutes later, and there was a large slice of luck involved as his poor header scuffed off the side of his head and past the unfortunate, stranded Lloris, who was Lyon’s best player.
Hamit Altintop should have made it a humiliating 4-0 in injury time, but put inches over after racing clear down the left with makeshift full-back Bastos in all kinds of trouble.
The former seven-times consecutive French champions, well off the pace in Ligue 1, are now set to finish a second successive season without silverware, while Bayern continued their march towards a domestic and European double.
Reda Maher / Eurosport
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