Bayern beats Lyon 3-0, to play PSG in Champions League final

LISBON, Portugal — Serge Gnabry led Bayern Munich into a first Champions League final in seven years, scoring twice in a 3-0 victory over Lyon on Wednesday.

After losing four semifinals since lifting the European Cup for the fifth time in 2013, the German champions will now play first-time finalist Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday in Lisbon.

It’s will be the first time since Real Madrid faced Juventus in 1998 that the Champions League final will feature two teams who qualified as domestic league champions.

“For now we celebrate a little bit,” Bayern’s Alphonso Davies said. “But afterwards we focus on the next game. It’s going to be a good game, there’s going to be goals in it.”

Davies, a Canadian international who has developed into one of the world’s top left backs, played the entire game for Bayern.

Bayern was clinical against a wasteful Lyon side.

Gnabry’s first-half double extended his hot scoring streak to nine goals across nine games in this season’s pandemic-disrupted Champions League.

But only Robert Lewandowski has scored in nine consecutive games in the competition, after heading in Bayern’s third in the 88th minute to make it 55 goals in total this season for the striker.

The loss for Lyon, in its first Champions League semifinal in a decade, cuts out the last route back into European competitions next season.

After only finishing seventh in the curtailed Ligue 1 season and being beaten in the French League Cup final by PSG, Lyon will be out of Europe for the first time since the 1996-97 season.

Back on the field where it knocked out Manchester City on Saturday, Lyon was made to pay for the squandering its opportunities to take the lead after finding more space in the Bayern defence than Barcelona, which was thrashed 8-2 on Friday.

Memphis Depay hit the side netting in the fifth minute with only goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to beat from a tight angle and Karl Toko Ekambi hit the right post.

A minute later, Bayern was in front. Gnabry brushed aside several challenges as he cut in from the right and powered in a shot into the top corner.

His threat was evident across the pitch, driving forward with the ball for the move that led to the second goal. After releasing Ivan Perišic on the left wing, the ball was squared into the penalty area. Lewandowski’s sliding connection was blocked by goalkeeper Anthony Lopes but Gnabry was on hand to knock in the second.

But Lyon was not out of sight.

Just before the hour mark, Moussa Dembélé fed Houssem Aouar who passed to Ekambi, but the forward shot straight at Neuer’s legs.

So many chance to score and none taken for the team that also ousted Juventus to qualify for unique last-eight tournament, which is being played without fans in the Portuguese capital, with single games replacing the usual home and away fixtures.

Lewandowski never has much trouble scoring, although it took until the 88th minute this time when he rose to meet Joshua Kimmich’s free kick with a header.

Bayern’s 42nd Champions League goal of the season wrapped up a 20th successive victory in all competitions.

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Rob Harris, The Associated Press