German champions Bayern Munich utterly humiliated Barcelona with a stunning 8-2 victory on Friday that sent them through into the semi-finals of the Champions League in an extraordinarily emphatic manner.
Thomas Mueller scored twice for a rampant Bayern, who led 4-1 after 31 astonishing minutes, as Lionel Messi and his teammates were condemned to a thrashing that felt like the end of an era for the illustrious Catalan club.
Both teams have been crowned European champions five times. But, while Bayern looks to have a real chance of added a sixth title next week, Barca is clearly facing major reconstruction work and it remains to be seen how many of those involved in this debacle will survive at the club.
The scoreline recalled Germany’s 7-1 win over Brazil in the 2014 World Cup, a game where Bayern coach Hansi Flick was on the bench as the national team’s assistant coach.
