Belgrade, August 14 (AP) - Bayern Munich made a huge step toward the Champions League berth by trouncing Partizan Belgrade 3-0 Wednesday in their first-leg, third-round qualifying match.
Michael Tarnat opened the score for Bayern in the 22nd minute when he
picked up the ball on the left edge of the penalty zone and fired a shot into the opposite side of Partizan's net.
Jens Jeremies made it 2-0 in the 71st minute with a header from some 10 meters (yards) after a long curving cross by Mehmet Scholl. Claudio Pizzaro netted Bayern's third in the 78th minute from a point blank range, connecting a perfect pass by Michael Ballack.
The young Partizan team, supported by some 30,000 fans at the packed
Yugoslav Peoples' Army stadium, controlled the ball for most of the match. However, the much more experienced German side was much more dangerous on counter-attacks.
A return match between Bayern and Partizan will be played in two weeks
Munich. The winner of the two-leg tie will qualify for the Champions League.
Partizan's best chance in the first half came in the 24th minute as Zvonimir Vukic picked up a deflection from Bayern goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, but failed to push the ball into an empty net from a close range.
Attendance: 30,000 gledalaca. Referee: Stuart Dougal (Scotland).
Scorers: Tarnat (22), Jeremies (71) and Pizzarro (78).
Booked: Vukic, Duljaj, Savic (Partizan) and Scholl (Bayern).
Sent-off: Duljaj (Partizan) in the 75th minute.
PARTIZAN: Radakovic, Savic, Jeremic, Bajic, Duljaj,
Trobok, Ilic (Cakar), Ivic (Rusmir), Vukic, Iliev, Lazovic.
BAYERN: Kahn, Sagnol, Scholl, R. Kovac, Jeremies, Linke, Ballack (Thiam), Elber (Ze Roberto), Tarnat, Hargreaves, Pizarro.
