JOIN USAn unflappable Bayern Munich reached the Champions League semifinals on Wednesday as Juventus were given a harsh reminder of the gap between themselves and Europe’s elite after their campaign fizzled out in a 2-0 home defeat.
The German side, 2-0 ahead from the first leg, survived a predictably furious Juventus start and by the end were strolling to a 4-0 aggregate win against the team which has dominated Serie A for the last 18 months.
Second-half goals from Mario Mandzukic and Claudio Pizarro silenced the Juventus stadium and kept the Bavarians, who were crowned Bundesliga champions with six games to spare on Saturday, on course for the treble.
Juventus, backed by a raucous crowd at their sparkling new stadium, huffed and puffed but were not quite creative enough to cause Bayern more than the odd scare. Juventus had not lost a home European team since they were beaten 4-1 by the same opponents in 2009/10, and it was a reminder for that despite their domestic dominance, they still have some way before they can challenge for Europe's top honour.
Their exit left Serie A without a representative in the semifinals for the second year running while Bayern joined compatriots Borussia Dortmund and Spanish duo Real Madrid and Barcelona in the last four.
Juventus coach Antonio Conte had warned beforehand that twice former European champions Juventus, still rebuilding after the 2006 match-fixing scandal need more time and he repeated the discourse after the match.
“The best side has gone through, they showed that last week and here at this stadium,” said Conte.
“We have only been working for 18 months,” added Conte, who won Serie A in his first season in charge. “It's a moment where we have to work with what we've got.”