Bad boy Anelka turns hero for Real

MUNICH, MAY 10. Real Madrid moved into the European Champions League final with a 2-1 loss, but a 3-2 win on aggregate, against Bayern Munich here on Tuesday night after bad boy French striker Nicolas Anelka turned from Real public enemy number one to adored hero.

Anelka's 32nd minute away goal which levelled the match at 1-1 left Bayern, which had beaten Madrid twice in the second round group phase, needing to score four and effectively killed off the tie and kept up hopes of Madrid's eighth European Cup football title.

The controversial $37 million signing from Arsenal had also scored the first goal in the first leg which Madrid won 2-0.

Carsten Jancker scored a spectacular goal for Bayern in the 12th minute before Anelka's goal. Brazilian Giovane Elber scored Munich's second in the 54th minute.

Madrid will now meet the winner of the Valencia versus Barcelona match in the May 24 final at the Stade de France to the north of Paris.

Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, who guided the side to German Cup success on Saturday but looks like surrendering the Bundesliga title to Bayern Leverkusen, admitted that at 1-0 up he thought that Real was on the way out. ``However, its goal rattled us completely and we didn't rediscover our early rhythm until midway through the second half.''

However, Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer was rather less impressed by what he saw on the pitch. ''Real deserved to go through because all our hard work could not cover up our limitations,`` the former German footballing legend said.

Beckenbauer, however, could not avoid aiming a sideswipe at the English referee Graham Poll, who generally looked to have had an excellent game.

''Even if it didn't make a huge difference the three officials were pretty non-professional,`` he said. ''Here we are in a Champions League semifinal and we have a bunch of amateurs running the game,`` added the exasperated two-time World Cup winner.

Bayern made four changes from the first leg. Star German midfielder Stefan Effenberg, having recovered from a calf injury moved into central midfield in place of Michael Tarnat.

Sweden's Patrick Andersson and Ghanian Samuel Kuffour was slotted into central defence and Jancer was included up front with central defender Thomas Links and Bosnian Hasan Salihamidzic relegated to the substitutes bench.

For Real, Cameroonian Geremi and Julios Cesar came in for suspended Aitor Karanka and Michael Salgado. Brazilian Savio, who played in its home loss to Alaves at the weekend, joined Anelka up front after Fernando Morientes injured his groin.

Jancer nearly had the ball in the net right after the start but he soon made amends. Helguera brought down Elber 25m from goal and Effenburg's freekick found Jens Jeremies who floated the ball across the goal to the right hand post. Elber headed the ball back and Jancker, who played for Rapid Vienna in the 1996 European Cup Winners Cup final, hit a right-footed bicycle kick past keeper Iker Casillas.

Elber had the ball in the back of the net after Casillas parried a Mehmet Scholl shot but English referee Graham Poll ruled it out for a razor edge offside.

From a corner, Raul, playing just behind Anelka and Savio, headed onto the roof of Bayern's net.

Towards the end of the half, Bayern kept up the pressure with chances for Julio Cesar and Elber though Bayern keeper Kahn made several great saves, twice from Geremi and once from Anelka.

Elber, who was booked in the first-half made up for his flash of temper by getting the slightest touches to Effenberg's freekick after McManaman committed a foul.

Then came a superb chance for the host side. Scholl's corner from the right found Jancker, whose effort was saved by Casillas. The ball then fell for Elber but his shot hit McManaman, then a post and away from danger.

Real beat holder Borussia Dortmund on the way to title in 1998, having won the home leg 2-0 so this tie was a little deja-vu.

Real went on to beat Juventus 1-0 in the final in Amsterdam for its seventh title. The 27-time Spanish champion's other wins came from 1956 to 1961 and 1998.

The hero on the night, however, was Anelka. He took half a season to score a goal, then fell out with his teammates, skipped training to earn a suspension and a huge fine.

Just a month ago he was forced to train on his own after preferring to have a weekend off than prepare for matches. He earned a 45-day ban, which was eventually reduced, and a financial penalty worth $300,000.

But Madrid supporters will agree his tie-winning goal was priceless.

- AFP

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