Going to Madrid

Ivica Olic scored a hat-trick as Bayern Munich defeated French team Olympique Lyon 3-0 (4-0 on aggregate) in Lyon on Tuesday to qualify for the Champions League final for the first time since they won the competition in 2001.

The prolific Croatian striker has now scored seven goals in the competition, only one goal behind Barcelona's star player Lionel Messi. Bayern could now face Messi in the final in Madrid on May 22, if Barcelona can overturn a 3-1 away-leg deficit against Inter Milan on Wednesday night.

Overjoyed Olic

"It's incredible to win by this scoreline and to have scored three goals," a jubilant Olic said after the game. "This is perhaps the best match of my life, but above all it's a great overall performance by the team. We have to repeat this now in the final itself."

But beneath the euphoria of Olic's first hat-trick for the Bavarians - and Bayern's progress to the biggest game in European club football for the first time in almost a decade - was a fairly easy win against ultimately harmless opposition.

Lyon, appearing in their first ever Champions League semi-final, had been expected to present a more dangerous prospect on home soil, following an anaemic 1-0 defeat in Munich in the first leg last week.

But the French put in another nervous display, and appeared broken long before Olic completed his hat-trick in the 79th minute.

Never in doubt

After seeing his side outplayed in Munich, Lyon coach Claude Puel made his attacking intentions clear by naming wingers Michel Bastos, Sidney Govou and Cesar Delgado in his line-up in support of Lisandro Lopez.

But the Germans were in control of the game from the beginning. With barely two minutes on the clock, Olic robbed the host's captain Cris wide on the right and centered for Thomas Mueller, but with only goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to beat, Mueller clipped his first-time shot narrowly wide from 10 yards.

Bayern finally made good on their early promise after 26 minutes, when Olic took a neat turn and blasted in a brilliant cutback from Mueller. Lyon, now needing three goals to win, offered little by way of response, and Bastos and Bafetimbi Gomis spurned the only two clear opportunities they had to find a way back into the tie.

By the time Olic smashed in a pass from Hamit Altintop after 67 minutes for his second, Lyon already looked unlikely to mount a comeback, having had Cris sent off for foolishly earning himself two yellow cards in quick succession - one for a challenge on Olic and one for sarcastically applauding the referee's decision.

Bayern, who kept the ball efficiently and continually threatened counter-attacks, showed few signs of the fatigue that struck them in the league at the weekend, where they could only muster a draw against Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Tonight's result has re-invigorated the celebrated Germans, and Bayern are still on course to become the first German team to win the league, the DFB domestic cup, and the Champions League in one season. Only Barcelona and Manchester United have achieved the equivalent to date.

Coach Louis van Gaal will also be aiming to become just the third man to guide two different teams to Europe's top club honor, having tasted Champions League glory with Ajax in 1995.

bk/AFP/Reuters
Editor: Catherine Bolsover