Klose call earns Bayern slender first leg advantage

BAYERN MUNICH clinched a controversial win over 10-man Fiorentina at the Allianz Arena last night to give them a slender advantage going into the second leg of their Champions League tie in Italy in a fortnight’s time.

Arjen Robben put the Bundesliga side ahead with a penalty on the stroke of half-time, but Per Kroldrup gave Fiorentina a deserved equaliser five minutes into the second half.

Referee Tom Henning Ovrebro, who handled the controversial semi-final between Barcelona and Chelsea last season, then harshly sent Massimo Gobbi off for an innocuous tackle before allowing Miroslav’s Klose to remain on the field for a much more dangerous challenge.

To rub salt into the Fiorentina wounds, it was Klose who nodded in the winner while clearly offside.

Given their recent Serie A form and the fact Bayern have won their last 12 games, Fiorentina came into the game as clear underdogs.

But rather than build a wall in front of their goal, Fiorentina surprised Bayern with their early enterprise, putting the Bundesliga side under a lot of pressure for the first quarter of the game.

Cesare Natali should have put the Viola ahead in the 18th minute when he came in around the back to meet Juan Vargas’ free-kick, but he lacked the conviction to put the ball into the open goal.

Having weathered an early storm of pressure from the visitors Franck Ribery went to ground in the area under the pressure of Kroldrup on the stroke of half-time. The ball fell free for Gomez who stroked it into the goal. However, Ovrebro had already pointed to the spot.

Robben stepped up to ensure Bayern still went in at the break ahead, coolly sending Frey the wrong way from the spot.

Kroldrup gained his personal revenge for the penalty decision five minutes into the second half when he brought Fiorentina level.

He found himself in the right place at the right time to tuck the ball in when Vargas met Marco Marchionni’s corner with a weak effort.

Bayern raised the tempo again with Robben at the heart of everything, but they could not find a way through the now massed ranks of Fiorentina defenders.

Ovrebro then assisted the home side by showing an inexplicable red card at Gobbi for merely obstructing Robben.

Minutes later, the Norwegian official only showed yellow to Miroslav Klose when he lunged at Felipe with a dangerous two-footed challenge right under the nose of the linesman.

But the worst error on the part of the officials was still to come.

As the game looked to be heading for a draw, Ovrebro allowed Klose’s headed goal in the last minute to stand despite the fact the Germany international was at least two yards offside when he received the ball from Ivica Olic.

BAYERN MUNICH: Butt, Lahm, Van Buyten (Contento 46), Demichelis, Badstuber, Robben, Van Bommel, Schweinsteiger, Ribery, Gomez (Olic 66), Muller (Klose 66).

FIORENTINA: Frey, De Silvestri, Kroldrup, Natali (Pasqual 85), Gobbi, Montolivo (Donadel 83), Bolatti, Marchionni, Jovetic (Felipe 75), Vargas, Gilardino.

Referee: Tom Ovrebo (Norway).