Match day One: 1999/2000 SS Lazio 2 2012/2013 Bayern Munich 2

1999/2000 SS Lazio  2              2012/2013  Bayern Munich 2
(Nedved 31', Salas 42')              (Muller 70', Gomez 85')


A stirring late comeback saw the German giants Bayern haul themselves back into a tie that appeared at half time to be getting away from them.

Bayern had actually started the brighter of the two sides but Lazio showed how dangerous they could be on 20 minutes when they launched a counter attack and their mercurial playmaker Juan Sebastian Veron put Roberto Mancini clean through. Neuer saved well.

Eleven minutes later however, and Neuer was left rooted to the spot as Pavel Nedved guided a header from Marcelo Salas's whipped cross into the top corner of the Bayern goal. Bayern nearly equalised from a Manzukic shot on 38 minutes but conceded again right on half time when Marcelo Salas slid the ball under Neuer having rolled around Dante's tight marking and onto a neat Nedved pass inside the box.

In the dressing room the Germans perhaps took comfort from the fact the shot tally in the first half had been level and possession slightly in their favour but it seemed that luck had deserted them when on 57 minutes Muller was put in by Javi Martinez only to slide his shot across the face of goal and worse was to follow on the hour when Alaba was clearly hauled down inside the box without a penalty being given.

Mario Gomez came on as the Germans threw everything forward. The tall striker was immediately onto a cross but his header looped wide. Then came the goal that pulled them back into things on seventy minutes. Muller, the master predator seized on a blocked clearance and blasted the ball past Marchegiani. Going back to Munich only 1 goal down and with the away goal in hand might have seemed a good return but Bayern continued to press and on eighty five minutes got their second to stun the Olympico crowd. Gomez again towered over his markers to send a bullet header goalwards. Although Marchegiani clawed it out he could do nothing to prevent Gomez bundling home the rebound.

2-2 and with all the momentum, Bayern may not have welcomed the final whistle but they will feel confident of ending the Italian threat at home. Lazio must regroup and focus on what worked in the first half. With Salas, Veron and Nedved, goals will always be possible.

Match Day 2: 1993/1994 Paris St Germain 0 1993/1994 Barcelona 2

1993/1994 Paris St Germain 0          1993/1994 Barcelona  2
                                                           (Stoichkov 36', Stoichkov 42')


The first leg of this tie had been a pulsating 2-2 draw at the Nou Camp with Paris twice shocking the Dream Team on the break. They entered the second leg needing only a low score draw to advance on away goals and with history on their side to a degree - the post-Athens defeat Barcelona side of 1995 had lost 1-0 against PSG with very close to the same line ups.

Paris should have gone ahead as early as the 13th minute when a Ronald Koeman handball gifted them a penalty. However Rai crashed the shot off the bar and over.

Barcelona pushed forward and Lama made his first save from Guardiola on 24 minutes, shortly before 3 minutes later another bullocking run from George Weah put Rai into a good position but Zubizarreta saved well. The home side threatened again on the half hour with a dangerous cross by Colleter was cut out by Koeman.

On 36 minutes Barcelona took control. A flowing move put Beguiristain into the box. His pullback to Bakero was brilliantly saved by Lama but the ball dropped to Stoichkov who could not miss and didn't. Just six minutes later, the Bulgarian maestro made the tie safe with his second. It was another long passage of crisp passing that eventually rolled the ball into Stoichkov's path on the edge of the box and he drove a venomous low shot at an angle under Lama's body and into the far corner of the net.

After the initial flurry of PSG chances, the half ended with Barcelona enjoying 67% of possession and having cancelled out the two away goals, in a commanding lead. There was no hubristic meltdown in the second half. Laudrup came on just before the hour but again had little impact. Weah should have halved the deficit shortly after when again his power had the Barcelona defense in trouble. His initial shot was parried by Zubizarreta but Weah could only steer the rebound inches wide.

PSG threw on more forwards as time ran down. Xavier Gravelaine forced another good save from the Barcelona keeper on 88 minutes but time ran down with Barcelona never looking too troubled.