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By Greg Robertson
3 News brings you VIDEO LIVE UPDATES of the Audi Cup 2011 semifinal clash between FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich. What a mouth-watering encounter we are in for! Join us for the match taking place at Alliannz Arena, Munich, Germany.
Make sure you refresh your browser occasionally to so you don’t miss any of the action and we’ll warn you that we’ve updated the video with a ‘Video up’ so you don’t miss any of the great match highlights. Enjoy!
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LIVE COMMENTARY… FINAL SCORE BARCELONA 2 vs BAYERN MUNICH 0
That's it Folks - BARCELONA WINS the AUDI CUP! Congratulations!
85 mins: Barca is totally in control of this one. Playing within themselves and cruising to the end.
80 mins: Surely that's it? Has Bayern Munich got the reserve or the arsenal to come back?
74 mins: Wonder GOAL from Thiago! Well it's a great goal on a decent stage for a great team missing some incredible players. He gets his second! Video up.
73 mins: What a volley from Bayern's Boateng. Video up.
69 mins: Heart attack time as once again Barca gives the ball away too easily in their own third. Bayern murder the opportunity though when they have numbers.
65 mins: We have a break while one of the Bayern Munich players is attended to. It's getting to that desperation period for Bayern Munich. They've only really shown hints of reasons to fear from the quick break. Barca could just camp back and eliminate that one for a start.
59 mins: Oh, want to see a great ball? Barca has dished one up and it nearly leads - should have led - to their second. Video up.
56 mins: Barcelona doing plenty of playing with the ball at the back trying to suck the Bayern forwards into some running and to start chasing the game.
53 mins: Petersen finds himself attacking the Barca defence - by himself - and it's all too much. Within seconds he gets another chance but the Bayern Munich forward doesn't do as well as he could have. If he gets the ball he's usually isolated in terms of support and with plenty of work to do.
50 mins: Tight knit play when Barca in the attacking third and it's one touch, back and both as they thread the ball between players. Pretty to watch even without a result.
47 mins: Slow start to the second half and Bayern are just about caught napping at the back as they tickle the ball around.
Second half is just moments away. Well Bayern Munich is out and about but Barca is no where to be seen. Here they come...
That's Halftime Barcelona 1 Vs Bayern Munich 0. All video of the half is up.
45 mins: One additional minute.
42 mins: GOAL! Thiago breaks the deadlock with an amazing header! Video up as Barcelona takes the lead!
39 mins: ONE-ON-ONE WITH VICTOR VALDES and Alaba waits to shoot... and waits and waits... for Bayern Munich to maybe go ahead... and he wait to shoot...ummm... go on then... here we go, and he's chosen his spot between the keeper's legs. He should have done better than that as Valdes knew what was up and closed the bridge quick smart. Video up soon. Should have been the game's first goal.
37 mins: Tymoshchuk delivers well from a dead spot and forces Valdes to come... from the Barca goal mouth... is he coming? Yes, he's coming and just gets a fist to it. Subsequent corner handled by the man with the mitts.
34 mins: Iniesta found Villa beautifully there but Villa seems to be having trouble with quick feet in the box. He just looks a little clumsy at times today but he's also the one making life tough for Bayern at the back.
32 mins: Great defending by the Germans. And there they go again intercepting the ball and they get their first strike on target through Petersen - it was a sweet strike but right at Valdes. Video up.
28 mins: Expansive play now from Barca as they sweep one side then flow to the other, and sway back the other way, again. Smooth and effortless. It's the break for Bayern that causes the most problems and Barcelona once again lose the ball in the centre third and suddenly are caught at the back outnumbered and being run at.
22 mins: Dug that one out from his feet did Johnathan Soriano. Then David Villa beats the offside trap but can't quite beat the keeper to it. Video up of both.
19 mins: Valdes is so involved and it seems he wants to score a scorcher from middle earth... well, this time about 34 yards. It bent wide of the post and was always covered.
14 mins: Victor Valdes does wonderfully well in the sticks. Expected - but trademan-like. Video up.
13 mins: There was a long break then before Villa again is involved as he targets the net from 30 yards and a dead ball. It's parried away. Great keeping and a decent strike. Video up.
8 mins: David Villa gets the ball on the right-hand touch, cuts back in and drifts along the box and unleashes. Video up just to get some highlights up (first shot in anger)
6 mins: Pass. Foot on ball. Pass. Pass. Head up. Switch. Pass. Pass. Back where they started. Pass. Lost the ball and Bayern Munich breaks from their own half. Pretty build up from Barca but they need to watch losing possession when men are sweeping forward like that.
3 mins: Barca's first real venture into opposition territory reaps no rewards but they do get a free quick they touch down the tram line and they win the first corner of the match. We'll get some action up as soon as something magic happens.
1 mins: And we are underway. Sharp start from Bayern Munich and have delivered two swing crosses in, both handled at the back by Barcelona.
Barcelona is in their change kit for this one.
Here we go people - we have pictures!
Hope you're getting excited people - preseason or not, this one should be a cracker! Not far away from taking out coverage.
Kick off is not far away but in the meantime watch highlights of the third and fourth Audi Cup play off between SC Internacional and AC Milan. Click here.
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Teams (possible)
FC Barcelona
Valdes; Cuenca, Fontas, Abidal, Maxwell; Keita, Thiago, Busquets; Afellay, Villa, Jonathan.
Bayern Munich
Neuer; Rafinha, Boateng, Van Buyten, Badstuber; Tymoshchuk, Luiz Gustavo; Usami, Alaba, Olic; Petersen.
PreGame Banter
Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben is set to miss the first round of the German Cup on Monday after injuring his ankle in a preseason
tournament.
A scan on Wednesday showed that the Dutch international received a small crack in his right ankle during Bayern's match against Milan on Tuesday. He was replaced in the second half.
Bayern says Robben needs "a couple of days of treatment and care" and likely to miss Monday's game against second-division team Eintracht Braunschweig.
France winger Franck Ribery is also out of the match because of an ankle injury.
The Bundesliga season starts August 5.
Previously
Barcelona and Bayern Munich both won penalty shootouts to advance to the final of the Audi Cup, a warm-up tournament ahead of the European season.
Champions League winner Barcelona beat Internacional Porto Alegere 4-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw on Tuesday.
Bayern beat AC Milan 5-3 after a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes. Extra time was not played.
Barcelona played without Lionel Messi and many other regulars but still led twice before the Brazilian side rallied both times.
Thiago Alcantara scored in the 14th for Barcelona and Jonathan dos Santos added the second in the 63rd. Nei scored for Internacional in the 56th and Leandro Damiao notched the late equalizer in the 85th to send the match into the shootout - only to miss a key penalty for the Brazilians. Pinto then converted to seal Barcelona's win.
Bayern fell behind to a fourth-minute goal by Zlatan Ibrahimovic before Toni Kroos equalized in the 34th.
Alberto Paloschi sent his spot kick high and Bastian Schweinsteiger converted his to send Bayern to the final.
Robinho played in the second half for Milan and Alexandre Pato came on late in the game.
Bayern was without Franck Ribery because of an ankle injury and Arjen Robben hobbled off in the second half. Coach Jupp Heynckes said the Dutch winger had a bruise and should be back after a couple of days.
3 News
source: newshub archive
