Bayern Munich surprised by Ribery red card

Bayern Munich officials and players have spoken of their surprise at referee Roberto Rosetti's decision to send off Franck Ribery during the Bavarians' 1-0 win over Lyon in the Champions League semi-final first leg on Tuesday.

Bayern Munich recovered from Franck Ribery's sending-off to take a slender lead in their Champions League semi-final thanks to Arjen Robben's goal.

France midfielder Ribery was dismissed after 37 minutes for an ugly studs-up challenge on Lisandro Lopez.

But an unadventurous Lyon side lost Jeremy Toulalon to a harsh second yellow card early in the second half.  And Robben gave Bayern a deserved win when his 30-yard effort took a slight deflection to beat Hugo Lloris.

It was Robben's glorious volley which had accounted for Manchester United in the previous round.  That win, coupled with their form in the Bundesliga which saw them thrash Hannover 7-0 on Saturday, had made Bayern favourites ahead of the semi-final.

Louis van Gaal's side dominated possession in the early stages against a defensive Lyon side set up to play on the counter, with just Lopez up front.

Bayern Munich manager Louis van Gaal:
"I am very satisfied. I think that we showed Europe how strong we are, we showed that by dominating with 10 men against 11.
"I did not think that we would win 1-0 with Ribery getting a red card, but we dominated. I think we created more chances when we were with 10 men against 11.
"When we were then 10 against 10 I sent in (another striker) Mario Gomez to score a goal faster. We created many chances but scored one goal. That is good."

Lyon coach Claude Puel:
"I am not looking for excuses. We still have some chances. We did not succeed in scoring that crucial away goal. I would have preferred to have lost with an away goal.
"We started well but we lost the ball too easily. In the second half we were too weak with the ball.
"Ribery's red card allowed us to take control of the match but then we then we had our player sent off. When it was 10 against 10 it became a very difficult match for us."

source:  ESPN, BBC

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Reina looks to Europa League

Pepe Reina is already targeting the Europa League after Liverpool's disappointing exit from the Champions League on Tuesday left the club with the chance for consolation in Europe's second tier club competition.

After five successive seasons of reaching the last 16, Liverpool crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage despite their 1-0 win over Debrecen, but Reina insisted the team must refocus on the competition they won under its previous name - the UEFA Cup - in 2001.

"Of course we are disappointed because the Champions League is a big competition that we have done well in. Now we are out, though. It's tough but it is not always possible to get out of the group stage," Reina said.

"The Europa League is another competition for us and we want to win it. It also has strong teams and it will be nice to play in it. It's already become a target. There are also so many good teams involved, but we have to look forward and keep trying to win.''

Liverpool must wait for the December 18 draw for the Europa League's last 32, when they will be parachuted into the competition along with seven other Champions League clubs who finished third in their groups. Liverpool can expect to be seeded, which means they are likely to be drawn against the sides who have finished runners-up in the group stages.

Liverpool will play their first match in the Europa League on February 18, and the sides they might have to face include Ajax, Anderlecht, Valencia, Hamburg, Sporting Lisbon, Everton, Roma, Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, holders Shakhtar Donetsk, Villarreal, Benfica, PSV Eindhoven and Werder Bremen.

The prospect of a Merseyside derby with Everton in European competition is a tantalising one, however unlikely, but fans will get a taster when the clubs meet in Premier League action on Sunday.