Lyon 0-3 Bayern Munich: Flick's side into the Champions League final 2019/20

A big shout out for Lyon's efforts

What the Germans are feeling...

On-the-whistle report

Karolos Grohmann writes

Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry scored twice in 15 minutes as the German champions beat Olympique Lyonnais 3-0 on Wednesday to reach the Champions League final and remain on course for a treble-winning season.

The Bavarians, who won the domestic league and Cup double and are unbeaten in all competitions in 2020, will now face Paris St Germain at Lisbon's Estadio da Luz on Sunday after the French champions booked their spot on Tuesday with a 3-0 victory over RB Leipzig.

Lyon's early push

Lyon, who had stunned heavyweights Juventus and Manchester City in the previous rounds, had the better chances in a lively start and also hit the post with Karl Toko Ekambi in the 17th minute.

But it was Bayern who scored first a minute later with their first real chance and Gnabry's sensational solo run and left-footed finish.

The Germany winger then bagged his ninth goal in nine Champions League games, firing in on the rebound from close range after a goalmouth scramble in the 33rd.

German efficiency

Bayern were far less dominant than in their 8-2 demolition of Barcelona in the quarter-finals last week, and Lyon wasted spurned more chances to get back in the game, but the Germans scored again with Robert Lewandowski's 88th minute header.

FINAL SCORE

Peep, peep, peeeeeep! The whistle is blown and this semi-final is done and dusted.

Lyon have a final run down the right, but it's another chance snuffed out. That should be the final action.

The Bundesliga champions are now just knocking the ball around, throwing in a couple of flicks for good measure. Probably as a nod to their manager ;-)

We'll have three additional minutes

A simple goal for the prolific Pole, his 15th in nine games.

Kimmich fires in a free-kick and the star striker heads home virtually unmarked. 

Mendes rightly booked for clumsy high feet 

SAVE! Aouar has been involved in most of what has been good from Lyon and has a strike from just outside the area. It's a decent hit but not troubling Neuer.

Time is running out for Lyon. Two needed for extra time

Bayern sub: Pavard and Tolisso come on for Goretzka and Thiago

Coutinho has the ball in the back of the net this time but, after some confirmation from VAR, he is deemed to be offside. He wasn't from the pass, but was when Goreztka motioned towards the ball en route to him

CLOSE! A sight very familiar to Liverpool fans sees Coutinho cut inside the Lyon area from the left and curl his right boot around the ball. The fact it didn't nestle in the back of the net is just as familiar.

Aouar sprints down the left side, chased by Goreztka. If the Lyon man can get away a huge chance awaits, but a wonderful sliding tackle prevents him from doing so

Bayern sub: Coutinho on for the bracing Gnabry

CHANCE! Great play once again from Aouar who sets it up for the newly introduced Cherki. He can't meet it cleanly and danger gone.

Lyon sub: Cherki on for Marçal

Tete tries to cause some problems but to no avail. Another change from Garcia coming up

The corner for Bayern is cleared and Lyon break. It comes to nothing but the Ligue 1 side look most dangerous when they counter from their own defensive pressure.

That said, Flick appears to have realised that and he is telling his players to sit back a little more. "We don't need 8 tonight," I think he said!

Cornet has a go for Lyon then Coman gets a chance to cross from the right. Blocked well for a corner.

The subs made before the corner but no immediate magic from the set piece

Lyon sub Reine-Adelaide on for Ekambi and Tete on for Dubois

Sustained possession from Bayern is then broken up and Lyon break.

Excellent play from Aouar, then speed and power from Dembélé, and trickery from Aouar again. A corner is won

Bayern sub: Kingsley Coman on for Perisic

Ekambi again finds himself free on the right to create something. His pass across the box is not even worth talking about.

CHANCE! What a great opportunity for Lyon to get back into this.

Ekambi is free at the far edge of the six-yard area. Neuer spreads himself and the Cameroonian can't find one of the spaces away from his body

Interesting sub for Lyon: Dembélé comes on for Memphis. (The departing player showing his clear disappointment)

Memphis delivers from the corner. Marcelo meets it with a head but can't get the power he needs to make it more than a simple catch for the big German keeper.

Lovely interplay from Lyon down the right ends with a cross to Memphis in front of goal. Top defending prevents the forward from troubling Neuer but a corner is conceded.

CHANCE! Bayern now use the Y button for a perfect through ball and Perisic is in. Poor effort from the Croatian and Lopes gathers low.

Ekambi is played into acres of space by Memphis but the covering Sule does well to reach it first and clean up.

A careful round of passes from the Germans suggests they'd be quite happy to just see out this game. Not surprising really but this energetic Lyon side won't allow them to do it for too long.

Goreztka tries his luck from outside the area. Powerful enough but Lopes deals with it comfortably.

Lyon look to get some control but the ball doesn't take too long to reach the feet of a Bayern player.

Lyon sub: Mendes on for Bruno

Bayern sub: Sule on for Boateng

Lyon kick-off

Players coming back out

What can Lyon do? Are they already out of it?

The simple answer is to try and get a bit more of the play as they did in the first 20 minutes. They can cause Bayern problems, and a goal could up confidence levels. Let's see

Oh, and there's this...

Gnice from Gnabry

Having watched the highlights of that first goal a couple more times, I realise I may have not given it the plaudits it deserved.

The former Arsenal man's control, movement with the ball through a crowded area at pace, and final shot were utterly stunning.

Happier in Germany...

They know it...

HALF-TIME (Gnabry 18, 33)

Lyon threaten to make a last effort before the break but as the chance dissolves, the whistle blows for the break.

Gnabry again causing problems for the French defence, although wins only a corner from it. Kimmich's ball in is cleared easily

Marçal into book for tough challenge on Lewandowski

Lyon go direct. Ekambi sent free, and is onside, as Neuer comes racing out of his area. The Lyon man gets there first and there is a feeling he may do something similar to what Sadio Mané did last season.

Boateng has different ideas and slides in to clear for a corner.

Lyon have the ball at the back and look to knock it around looking for an opportunity. Nothing opens up for them.

CHANCE! Gnabry curls in a lovely cross-cum-shot from the corner of the Lyon area. Lewandowski is stretching to get a toe on it but can't reach and the ball flies just wide of the far post. Much to Lopes' relief.

Lyon have to be careful about getting too frustrated with how this game his turned. Marcelo first into the book for a rash challenge.

Just as I was getting ready to tell you about Lewandowski making a Sterling-level missed sitter, his blushes are saved by his teammate.

A nice flowing move sees Perisic freed on the left. His low ball in gets through to the back post where the big Pole fails to finish, but the follow-up is simple.

Game paused for a moment. Kimmich appears to have taken a knock.

That possession almost creates a chance in behind. Lewandowski on the end of it but the ball doesn't drop quick enough for him to control it and Lopes flies in to clear it for a corner.

Bayern having a composed period with the ball just inside their own half. Are they trying to draw out the Lyon players to make more space behind? I'd say so

Just as it looked as though Alphonso Davies was in behind the Lyon backline, the flag is raised by the assistant

Note for Lyon fans: by this point against Barça, Bayern had scored three!

Kimmich caught late by Caqueret. Nothing sore but looked like the Lyon man wanted to make himself known.

SAVE! Gnabry again with the effort from distance. He caught it well but Lopes is behind it and blocks it away.

A bit of a (relative) lull as a couple of fouls are called in the middle of the park. It won't last.

CHANCE! Müller will be disappointed not to have finished his opportunity there. He did brilliantly to get in behind the defence.

There were plenty of players around him but Gnabry creates a little space and fires a sweet strike into the top left corner. Lopes with no chance.

Gutting for Lyon who have been very good so far and were centimetres away from taking the lead just seconds before.

POST! What a chance for Lyon to take the lead.

Great, determined run on the right from Ekambi. He cuts inside and tries to wrong foot Neuer at the near post. It comes hard back off the upright. So unlucky.

Perisic goes for one from distance but the defence plays its blocking role. Goals are definitely coming

Free-kick to Lyon after Müller goes in a little hard.

CHANCE! Another great position for Lyon to score from.

Cornet breaks free of a challenge in the left-hand channel and has players waiting in the area to finish the move off. Boateng predicts where the pass is going and times his blocking slide to perfection. I'm enjoying this!

The corner was well dealt with by Lyon and they immediately head down the other end. Memphis slightly overhits the crucial pass.

SAVE! Goretzka fires in a low effort and it has Lopez scrambling across his line to push it away for a corner. Good keeping.

It's certainly not as one sided (thus far) as many would have had you believe. Nice and open

It's a corner for Lyon after Dubois lifts one goalwards.

The French side take it short then Dubois again delivers high. Cleared by Bayern.

Bayern get down the other end and win a corner. Kimmich floats one into the danger area but nothing comes of it.

A further ball into the box is calmly chested back to Lopes.

CHANCE!! Memphis again 

Caqueret feeds him in the space between the defence and the Dutchman is one-on-one with Neuer. The effort hits the side netting.

Memphis again involved, breaking down the left and trying to get something delivered into the box. It's cleared but a sign that Bayern will have to stay alert to quick movement.

Memphis tries to turn, but its hauled down in the middle of the pitch. First free kick

The bright red strips of the Germans stand out well and it is there is a opening period of possession for them. It ends with a ball into the area from Davies and it's cleared.

We're off

Bayern get us underway...

Toss off

Memphis and Neuer are with Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz in the centre circle. Memphis chooses to stay on the side they are (although it took the winger a while to decide).

Time for line ups and that anthem

The teams and officials are now out on the field as the Champions League anthem rings out.

A respectful clap from all those involved and everyone takes their positions.

Keeping it clean

It's worth noting that Lyon have become used to being the underdogs in recent Champions League games. What they've managed to do in those 'surprise' victories has been to keep a clean sheet up until half-time.

In three of their last four UCL games they've gone in at the break with a 1-0 lead.

Obviously, we must also remember that their opponents tonight had scored four by that point against Barça!

One for the cameras

Neuerly time for the action to get underway. 

EUROPEAN SUPER CUP

UEFA proposes Super Cup trial for fans returning to stadiums

UEFA's desire to get fans back

The supporters are missing tonight, but the continent's governing body are hoping to get some in the stadium for the European Super Cup.

Full story

#MissionLis6on

In case you were wondering, the hashtag that Bayern are going with is all about their target to become European champion for a sixth time.

If they do overcome Lyon and then the French title dominators, PSG, they will go level with Liverpool in the all-time list, just one behind AC Milan. Real Madrid remain well out in front with 13.

30 minutes till KO

Warm-ups in front of an empty stadium. It's something we couldn't have imagined a year ago, but the players are starting to get used to it

Underdog threat

As we've seen, Lyon dispensed of a City side who love to attack but too often leave the door open at the back. They will back themselves to beat Bayern.

OL will expect to have more energy - particularly in midfield. The trio that started against City were 20, 22 and 22 respectively and combined for eight tackles, more than the entire Barca team managed against Bayern.

The outstanding Aouar also assisted the second strike and has now created seven goals since his Champions League debut, trailing only Kylian Mbappe (10) and Riyad Mahrez (eight) in that regard. Meanwhile, he has won 20 fouls this season, second only to Marco Verratti.

Disrupting the likes of Thiago, Leon Goretzka and Muller - who still remains 10 years on - will be a major ask, but Lyon have endured a long wait to get another shot at the big time.

It's a game of numbers

Which of these stars do you think will steal the show for Bayern tonight?

Remember that you can add comments to this page using the appropriate box, or send us a tweet to @English_AS and we'll share the best ones.

More united in France

It didn't work out for Memphis in Manchester but he is proof to any young footballer that a move can change your fortunes.

Neat and tidy

Everything in order for the Lyon lads.

Barcelona vs Bayern Munich

Barcelona 2-8 Bayern Munich: Bayern destroy Barça in Champions League quarter-final 2019/20

Barça bashers Bayern

There have been plenty of stories already in this season's Champions League, but one result that stands out is that of the Germans in the previous round.

LaLiga's Barcelona boast arguably the greatest player of all time in Lionel Messi, but his side were unable to match the intensity and cohesion of Bayern.

Here's how our David told the story of the night, including chat on all 10 goals.

Bayern target history

If Bayern fulfil their favourites tag and win tonight, they will equal the longest winning run in the competition of ten games.

This was achieved by Real Madrid in 2015 and also the Bayern side in 2013.

Champions League

Man City 1-3 Lyon: Dembélé double sets up Bayern semi

Lyon knocking out the big boys

The French club finished 7th in Ligue 1 this past season but have shown that they are a match for Europe's elite by reaching this semi-final.

They overcame Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus over two legs and followed that up with a real surprise, beating Pep Guardiola's talented Man City side.

French history

Lyon boss Rudi Garcia is hoping to follow in the footsteps of compatriot Didier Deschamps, the only other French manager to take a French team into the UCL final.

Deschamps did that with Monaco in 2003/04.

Bayern Munich starting XI

Neuer, Kimmich, Boateng, Alaba, Davies, Thiago, Goreztka, Gnabry, Müller, Perisic, Lewandowski

Lyon starting XI

Lopes; Denayer, Marcelo, Marçal; Dubois, Caqueret, Bruno Guimarães, Aouar, Cornet; Ekambi, Memphis

Lyon vs Bayern: previous meetings

These two clubs have met eight times before, with Bayern having won four and Lyon two.

Interestingly, the last time was also a UCL semi-final, back in 2009/10 when the Germans ran out 4-0 winners over the two legs.

Here's another of their clashes

Champions League

Leipzig 0-3 PSG: Champions League semi-final 19/20

PSG await the winners

Some of us, ahem, were predicting RB Leipzig's team ethic to cause an upset last night but the Parisien giants showed they are more than just an ensemble of talented individuals.

Yes, the front three of Neymar, Mbappé and Di Maria shone, but as a collective, PSG have suggested their first ever UCL final may also involve them being crowned winners.

Here's what went down...

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Olympique Lyon vs Bayern Munich: how and where to watch - times, TV...

How to watch and preview

Here is all the information you need on how and where to watch the semi-final in our handy little guide.

Oh, and our man Will has also popped in a preview to the game for you lucky readers.

Lyon vs Bayern Munich live: welcome

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyon and Bayern Munich from the Bundesliga who meet in the second semi-final of the 2019/20 Champions League. 

As you are more than likely well aware, due to the coronavirus pandemic this will be a one-legged tie, being held at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon, Portugal, the home of Sporting Clube de Portugal.

The game gets underway at 20:00 local time, that's 21:00 CEST, 20:00 in London, 15:00 in New York, 12:00 in Los Angeles and 22:00 in Qatar.