Manchester City cruised into the Champions League semi-finals after a 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich on Wednesday secured a 4-1 aggregate win that moved them a step closer to an elusive first title in the competition.

City forward Erling Haaland, who had missed a first-half penalty, made amends in the 57th minute, drilling in his 48th goal in all competitions this season to kill off the tie before Bayern levelled with a Joshua Kimmich penalty in the 83rd.

It was City’s 15th consecutive game without defeat across all competitions and Pep Guardiola’s team, losing finalists in 2021, will next face holders Real Madrid in the last-four.

It was also the 10th time Guardiola had reached the semi-finals as a coach, a record. City are chasing a treble with the Premier League title very much in their reach and the FA Cup where they face Sheffield United in the semis on Saturday.

“I am happy to be in three in a row semi-finals (with City),” Guardiola said. “I could not expect (Bayern) differently, you saw how goodthey are.”

“In this competition it is the details. In these two games in the right moments we were there,” said Guardiola, who coached Bayern from 2013-16.

Bayern always had a mountain to climb after losing 3-0 in the first leg, but got off to a strong start.

Kingsley Coman was a constant source of danger on the wing, keeping City defenders busy, and the hosts’ biggest chance came in the 17th minute when Leroy Sane latched on to a Jamal Musiala pass but dragged his shot wide with only keeper Ederson to beat.

The Bavarians caught a break a minute later when defender Dayot Upamecano was initially sent off after receiving a straight red card for a last-man foul on Haaland.

A VAR review, however, confirmed the striker was offside and the Bayern defender’s dismissal was overturned.

Upamecano, who had been heavily criticised for his mistake that led to City’s second goal in the first leg, was less fortunate a little later when he was penalised for a handball. Haaland sent his penalty high over the bar, a rare miss for the Norwegian striker this season, but he did much better after the restart.

Milan showdown

Inter drew 3-3 with Benfica to win their quarter final 5-3 on aggregate and will face city rivals AC Milan for the right to be the first Italian team to reach the final for six years.

It will be Inter’s first semi-final appearance since they won the European Cup for the third time in 2010, the last Italian Champions League triumph with Juventus losing the 2015 and 2017 finals.

“It will be a special Derby,” Inter striker Lautaro Martinez, who ended his 10-game scoring drought by scoring his team’s second goal against Benfica, told Amazon Prime Video.

“We all know what this game means, to play a Milan Derby in the Champions League semi-finals.

Inter were resolute against Benfica and were never in danger of losing their grip on the tie, scoring in each one of their only three shots on target in the entire game.

Leading 2-0 from the first leg in Portugal, Inter were happy to sit back and wait for a counter-attack against a desperate Benfica side.

Inter took the lead after 13 minutes when defender Nicolas Otamendi failed to control a loose ball near his own area.

Nicolo Barella was quick to react and after a nice one-two combination with Lautaro he unleashed a thunderous left-foot strike into the top corner of the net.

Benfica equalised in the 38th minute through midfielder Fredik Aursnes. Inter opened up a two-goal lead after the break as Martinez and substitute Joaquin Correa scored with close-range strikes.

Tuchel praises  team mentality

Munich: Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel heaped praise on his team despite their Champions League exit.

Tuchel, who took over from sacked Julian Nagelsmann in late March, has now seen his team crash out of two competitions in two weeks after they were also knocked out of the German Cup by Freiburg in the last-eight.

But the former Chelsea coach could find only a few things wrong with their performance over the two legs against City, who won 3-0 in Manchester last week.

"I am very satisfied with both games against Manchester City and with the way we presented ourselves today (Wednesday)," Tuchel told reporters.

"We were on par with what is currently the best team in Europe. There was a difference in self-confidence and form. For the few chances we conceded in both matches, we were punished. I don't think the scoreline reflects the tie.

"We had enough chances. But in order to beat the best team you need more than just 100 per cent. You need also a bit of luck, a deflection, a set piece and you also have to make those golden chances you get."

"I think we had City on the hook again."

Reuters

Exhaustion worries Guardiola 

Munich: Manchester City players are exhausted ahead of their FA Cup semi-final against Sheffield United at Wembley this weekend, manager Pep Guardiola said, after his side knocked Bayern Munich out of the Champions League on Wednesday.

City's 1-1 draw with Bayern in their quarter-final second leg secured a 4-1 win on aggregate that assured them a semi-final spot in Europe's elite club competition for a third successive season.

Guardiola's side are also in the hunt for the Premier League title, sitting four points behind leaders Arsenal with a game in hand.

"The team is exhausted, so I don't know how we are going to recover to play against Sheffield because we play on Saturday," Guardiola said.

"It's so demanding, so I don't know how we will arrive because now is a tough moment for the game."

Guardiola said defender Nathan Ake would undergo tests to check the extent of a suspected hamstring injury.

Reuters