Robben: I did not take a penalty in the shoot-out as Casillas knows me too well

Arjen Robben has admitted he did not take a shoot-out spot kick in the second leg of Bayern Munich's Champions League semi-final tie against Real Madrid as Iker Casillas knows him too well.

Robben netted from 12 yards in the 27th minute to help Bayern back in the game after conceding two early goals. Although the Bavarians lost the match 2-1, the attacker's goal eventually proved vital as the German giants reached the final after a series of spot kicks.

However, Robben opted not to take a spot kick in the decisive penalty-series as he felt a second attempt from 12 yards is always more difficult, especially against his former team-mate.

"Casillas and I know each other as we've played together for two years. And it's more difficult to take a second spot kick. That's why I didn't take another one."
The Dutchman also took a dig at Franz Beckenbauer after the German legend was critical of him after the winger recently missed from the spot in the Bundesliga title decider against Borussia Dortmund.

"I'd like to hear what mister Beckenbauer has to say now. Whether I've already spoken with him? No, and I don't really feel the need to do so either at the moment," Robben said to NOS.

"It was not the first time that I stood face-to-face with [Iker] Casillas at an important moment. My shot was powerful and accurate enough, though."

Bayern lock horns with Chelsea at the Allianz Arena on May 19 in the final of the Champions League.

No Clasico final, no Decima for Real Madrid or Mourinho, but brilliant Bayern deserve dream date in Munich

The Clasico dominated the football headlines at the weekend. Real Madrid beat Barcelona at Camp Nou on Saturday to edge towards La Liga and leave the Catalans stunned. But that was supposed to be the prelude; the main dish was still to be served as Spain's top two were destined to meet in the Champions League final.

But it hasn't happened. Remarkably, neither of the two Spanish sides have made it through to next month's showpiece. So there'll be no Clasico final, no Barcelona double, no third title for Jose Mourinho and no 10th European Cup triumph for Real Madrid, either.

Chelsea had advanced following an improbable win in Catalunya on Tuesday. And like Barca, Madrid needed to overcome a one-goal deficit in order to return to Munich in May. But as Barcelona had done just a night earlier, Real succumbed at the final hurdle, too.

This match could not have been more different to the Camp Nou clash, though, which had seen Chelsea camped on the edge of their area for much of the night. Here, two giants of the game went on the attack in an an extraordinary exhibition of flowing football - at least in the opening 45 minutes that is.

Hero to villain | Cristiano scored twice but missed a crucial spot-kick in the shoot-out

The first half was scintillating stuff: Madrid went ahead after just six minutes after David Alaba was harshly penalised for handball in the area and Cristiano Ronaldo did what Lionel Messi failed to do on Tuesday, coolly converting from the spot.

The Portuguese then doubled Real's advantage after 14 minutes and there was some controversy about that one, too, as the Portuguese was marginally - albeit by a fraction and impossible to appreciate in real time - offside as he received a clever through-ball from Mesut Ozil after Bayern's back line had been pulled out of position. Ozil and Ronaldo had combined to hand Madrid victory in the Clasico at Barcelona on Saturday, and the same two linked up again to thrust Jose Mourinho's men into a winning position in this one.
But Bayern are made of strong stuff and the Bavarians had been unfortunate to go two down. And after 27 minutes, they had a penalty of their own as Pepe was adjudged to have shoved Mario Gomez in the area and Robben stepped up to beat his former team-mate and World Cup nemesis Iker Casillas from the spot - albeit only just.

The first half provided an enthralling, end-to-end encounter, with changes for both sides and a high-tempo battle in a rocking and thumping Bernabeu. But the second period was tense virtually from the outset as the two teams realised exactly what was at stake. Bayern had the majority of the possession and looked the better of the two; indeed, Gomez squandered the chance of the half as he got the ball stuck under his feet when all alone in the area and the gaping goal at his mercy.

Madrid looked tired as the game entered its final stages. Mourinho had made just one change to the side which had beaten Barca and this was one match too many. The home side upped the tempo in the first half of extra time, but it had become a cagey contest by now and penalties looked inevitable as Bayern finished the stronger.

Mourinho had seen his Chelsea side lose out to Liverpool on spot kicks in the 2007 semi-final, and they got off to the worst possible start in this shoot-out, as both Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka saw their penalties brilliantly saved by Manuel Neuer low down to his right, and Bayern went into a 2-0 lead from which Real could never recover. Sergio Ramos then blasted over the bar and Bastian Schweinsteiger slotted home to end Madrid's hopes of La Decima this time around and send the Bavarians forward to a dream date at their home ground, the Allianz Arena, on May 19.

With Barca out of the way, it had been a glorious opportunity for Mourinho's men, but the Germans had been the better side in both games and fully deserved to advance. So it is Jupp Heynckes, a man fired by Madrid after winning their eighth European crown in 1998, and not Mourinho, who will seek this season's top prize.

There'll be no Barca, no Madrid, no Clasico, no Messi and no Ronaldo. Europe's elite extends beyond the Clasico.

Mourinho misses out on Chelsea reunion as Real Madrid are shot down by Bayern

So Chelsea won't face Jose Mourinho in the Champions League final, but after a semi-final of the utmost drama in Madrid, the occasion may well still be a Special One.

On May 19 in Munich, Jose Mourinho and the players that used to idolise him at Stamford Bridge won't come face with each other on the greatest stage in club football after his Real Madrid team lost to Bayern Munich on penalties at Santiago Bernabeu.

Be it flirting from afar or battling head-to-head, the Portuguese boss and Chelsea remain intrinsically linked, but this year they will continue as star-crossed lovers.

When Mourinho announced to his players that he would be leaving west London in September 2007 it never really looked like the end of their great love story. It was a bolt from and to the Blues.

At the time, Didier Drogba cried in the dressing room. John Terry, as is so often his wont on the pitch, remonstrated with club officials, desperate to keep the man who had brought the league title to Stamford Bridge for the first time in half a century and kick-started Roman Abramovich's revolution.

"People can't understand how much I love Chelsea," said the Real coach in March. "I'd love to play them in the final."

That dream slipped through his fingers however, as he slumped to his knees in the Bernabeu technical area and watched Bastian Schweinsteiger send the Bavarians through from the spot.

For Mourinho, the opportunity to parade the prize that Roman Abramovich wants more than any other will have been tantalising. Indeed, when his Inter side knocked the Blues out at Stamford Bridge at the last 16 stage two years ago, the self-proclaimed Special One insisted that he took no pleasure in ending the Russian oligarch's Champions League dream.

"I love Chelsea, I love this stadium, I love these people but I am a professional," said Mourinho after the 1-0 win for the Italians in west London, securing a 3-1 victory on aggregate.

"I celebrated a lot in the dressing room. I'm happy because I won. I am not happy my ex-players lost, because Roman [Abramovich] lost or because the fans go home unhappy."

But Mourinho, you sense, never forgets. His house-hunting trip to London earlier this season amid the final weeks of Andre Villas-Boas' unsuccessful reign merely demonstrated the Portuguese's tendency to relish in his former club's turmoil.

He would never admit it, but beating Chelsea, no, beating Abramovich in Munich next month would have been on his mind.

Instead, Chelsea will face Bayern, a team who, like the Blues, had their own task deemed by some to be nearly impossible in the semi-finals.

Jupp Heynckes' side, like Di Matteo's men, have seen their domestic title in the arms of another side for successive seasons, yet with the world awaiting a Clasico in Bavaria, neither of world football's supposed two greatest teams will participate.

It will be a showpiece that not many will have expected when the semi-final draw was made in March and Chelsea will enter it with heightened expectations, be them foolish or not. For now they have avoided Mourinho. The reunion will have to wait.

Ribery and Robben reconcile after Bayern's win over Werder Bremen

Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben have cast their differences aside after they shook each other's hand following Bayern Munich's 2-1 win over Werder Bremen on Saturday.

The pair came to blows in the aftermath of Tuesday's Champions League semi-final first leg against Real Madrid, when the former Marseille midfielder proceeded to punch his team-mate in the face during a heated dressing-room exchange.

Reports in Germany claimed the Bavarian outfit slapped Ribery with a €50,000 fine for his misconduct, but he did his best to win back the hearts of his club's fans with a 93rd-minute winner against Bremen on Saturday.

However, the 29-year-old quickly ran over to the Bayern bench to shake Robben's hand, a gesture the ex-Chelsea winger promptly accepted.

Despite the win over Bremen, Jupp Heynckes' side have conceded the Bundesliga title to Borussia Dortmund as they trail BVB by eight points with only two league games to go.

Bayern travel to Madrid on Wednesday in the return leg of their Champions League semi-finals as they look to defend their 2-1 advantage.

Resilient Neuer defies the critics with another Champions League gem: This is why Bayern signed him

It all started with a swing and a miss. Manuel Neuer received a back-pass, attempted a clearance, and only the breeze from his passing foot made the ball move at all. He's too inexperienced on the big stage, a goalkeeper for a good, but never an elite club - definitely not in the class of Iker Casillas or Gianluigi Buffon.

Yeah, right.

After his embarrassing moment, Neuer grew in confidence. Many might have blushed for the rest of the match, but the Germany No. 1 - like the rest of his Bayern Munich team-mates - gained his composure after going 2-0 down to Real Madrid in their Champions League semi-final second leg at the raucous Santiago Bernabeu.

Bayern after the quarter-hour appeared destined for defeat, but looked the better side afterwards and deservedly pulled a goal back. The visitors should have won it before extra time, but the score remained 2-1 through 90 minutes, and even 120.

Neuer had only a few chances to show himself before the shoot-out, but waited patiently. Then, in a head to head with Casillas, the ex-Schalke shot-stopper came out on top - and emphatically at that.

Four efforts came Neuer's way: only one found the net. To begin the shoot-out, Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to the spot. Buoyed by two goals he scored in the opening minutes, including a penalty, as well as the opportunity to gain an edge in his rivalry with Lionel Messi, the Portuguese arrived with confidence. He struck a good kick towards the lower-left corner. But Neuer pounced to his right, extended his arm, and stole the limelight.

Another former World Player of the Year was next up for Real Madrid in the form of Kaka. The Brazilian aimed for the same corner, and again, Neuer made the stop.

For the third, Xabi Alonso coolly took his spot-kick, waiting just long enough for Neuer to dive. He scored: an excellent effort from a wise and cool player.

But then came the notoriously nervy Sergio Ramos, who - perhaps spooked by Neuer's previous saves - blasted high over the bar, and nearly out of the Bernabeu itself. Bastian Schweinsteiger converted the next kick for Bayern, and the Germans advanced 3-1 on penalties.

On the whole, Neuer has had a frustrating first year at Bayern. He went 1147 minutes without conceding earlier this season, but a blunder or two has prompted hefty criticism. Arguably, youngsters Bernd Leno and Marc-Andre ter Stegen have outperformed him in the Bundesliga.

This season, Neuer has had to adjust to playing for an elite team, a job that is quieter than it was at Schalke. In Gelsenkirchen, he was constantly in the spotlight, and always had the chance to showcase his talents. His defence was notoriously poor, and nearly every game he'd have a one on one (or 10) to defend. At Bayern, a busy game might require one or two saves. On aggregate performance, he has been more worldly this season than in the past.

At Schalke, he gave some memorable performances in the Champions League. Manchester United fans will remember his heroics at the same stage last season, but arguably the best performance of his career came in 2007, when he single-handedly led his side to an improbable advancement at the expense of Porto.

At Bayern, Neuer hasn't had the same opportunities as before. But finally, on the grand stage of the Champions League semi-final and facing arguably the greatest team in the world, the 26-year-old had his chance, and took it. In a week in which Ronaldo and Messi were tipped for greatness, it was the Bayern goalkeeper who stepped up and made his mark.

To simplify Neuer's impact into a couple ofpenalty saves would be a mistake, overlooking critical psychological elements. After seeing two shots saved before, Ramos was clearly worried about producing a saveable shot. Instead, he aimed for a much more difficult location than he otherwise might have, and missed. In effect, Neuer's first two saves might as well have stopped another.

More important, however, was the keeper's effect on Bayern as a whole. In previous years, with Thomas Kraft or Hans-Jorg Butt between the posts, the outfielders might have felt they needed a winner before penalties - especially when facing an elite shot-stopper such as Casillas.

During extra time, however, Bayern did not lose their composure, they did not overextend themselves looking for a winner. They did not defend too deep, but it appeared that they were eyeing up a shoot-out, a testament to their trust in Neuer. Their trust, as well as that of the Bayern board, was repaid in full on Wednesday night in the Spanish capital as they had a world-class performance from a world-class goalkeeper.

And, when two equally-matched teams faced off, that was the difference.

'I can't eliminate Real Madrid by myself' - Ribery

Franck Ribery acknowledged that he is in "superb form" at present, but conceded that he will need the help of his Bayern Munich team-mates if the Bavarians are to eliminate Real Madrid from the Champions League.

The Bundesliga giants recorded a 2-1 victory in the first leg of the semi-final tie, and Ribery feels that they can get another positive result on Wednesday at the Bernabeu in what he describes as his most important game yet for the Bavarians.

"It will be the most important game of my career at Bayern. I'm in superb form at the moment. However, I can't eliminate Madrid by myself. It will have to be a great team effort," the Frenchman told L'Equipe

"We can achieve something big if we manage to play at the same level as we did in the first leg.

"We realise that it will be very difficult, though. Madrid have shown that they are a great team. I was impressed with their performance against Barcelona.

Wednesday's match at the Santiago Bernabeu kicks off at 20.45CET.