Fiorentina won, but Robben scores rescues Bayern send to the quarter-finals

FIORENTINA 3
- Vargas 27,
- Jovetic 54,
- Jovetic 64

BAYERN MUNICH 2
- van Bommel 60,
- Robben 65

**Arjen Robben's superb strike sent Bayern Munich through to the Champions League quarter-finals on away goals on Tuesday despite a 3-2 defeat by Fiorentina in a thrilling last 16 second leg.

The Italian team carried the game to its opponent and appeared set to snatch the series from the Bundesliga giants. From winger Juan Vargas gave Fiorentina the lead in the 27th minute, Vargas missed an audacious free kick from 40 yards.

Gilardino stopped the ball dead with a marvellous touch with his heel, teeing it up for Stevan Jovetic to smash home from about 10 yards, Jovetic made it 2-0 after 54 minutes. That's a wonderful goal by Fiorentina.

A well-struck goal by Bayern's captain, Mark van Bommel, off a cross from Franck Ribery, who had lured three defenders out of position, made it 2-1, tying the series on aggregate, 3-3, with each team having scored one vital road goal.

Fiorentina fans believed they had it won when Jovetic, a 20-year-old rising star from Montenegro, scored his second goal of the match, making it 3-1 in the 64th minute, but 72 seconds later Robben ruined their hopes.

Taking the ball on the right flank and cutting inside his defenders, Robben let fly with a shot from 30 yards that sailed into the upper left corner of the net. There was little that Fiorentina goalkeeper Sebastien Frey could do about the shot.

The game ended with a 3-2 Fiorentina win and with the series tied at 4-4, but Bayern advanced because of its two away goals. That left fans at the Artemio Franchi Stadium chanting "Thieves, Thieves" in reference to what they perceived as the first-leg robbery in Munich.

Teams:

Fiorentina: Sebastien Frey; Lorenzo De Silvestri, Cesare Natali, Per Krøldrup, Felipe (Manuel Pasqual '79); Riccardo Montolivo, Cristiano Zanetti; Marco Marchionni, Stevan Jovetić, Juan Vargas (Keirrison '82); Alberto Gilardino.

Bayern Munich: Hans-Joerg Butt; Philipp Lahm, Daniel van Buyten, Holger Badstuber, David Alaba; Arjen Robben, Mark van Bommel, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Franck Ribery (Danijel Pranjic '90); Thomas Mueller, Mario Gomez (Miroslav Klose '30).