Bayern Munich's thrashing of Barcelona was 'brutal' says Muller

It was complete and utter humiliation for FC Barcelona as they were demolished by Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in their quarter-final knockout match at the UEFA Champions League. It rained goals in Lisbon as the German side thrashed the Catalans, 8-2.

Barcelona seemed sluggish from the opening few minutes of the game as the red-hot tandem of Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller teamed up to score Bayern's opening goal in the 4th minute. Barcelona got lucky to equalise almost immediately after, as David Alaba sliced a clearance straight into his own net for an own goal.

Barcelona appeared to be in the game for the next few minutes after Luis Suarez fired on target but was denied by Manuel Neuer. Lionel Messi took a shot but only managed to hit the post. The lost opportunities proved costly for the Catalans as Bayern scored another three goals before the half courtesy of Ivan Perisic, Serge Gnabry and another by Muller.

At the restart, Luis Suarez kept Barcelona's hopes alive by pulling one back to take the scoreline to 4-2. However, Bayern had other ideas. Joshua Kimmich joined the party to bring Bayern up 5-2. By this time, Barcelona looked completely defeated. They were sluggish at the start, but they progressively got worse. Some of them were not even bothering to track back or press for the ball, including Messi. Arturo Vidal was the only player who was still showing the will to win against his former club and received a yellow card for it.

The final ten minutes proved even more humiliating for Barcelona as Robert Lewandowski added his name to the scoreboard. The final blow was ironically dealt by Barcelona player (on loan to Bayern) Philippe Coutinho, who scored a brace in quick succession.

After the match, BBC quoted Muller comparing the victory to Germany's thrashing of Brazil in the 2014 FIFA World Cup final, which ended 7-1. "In the win in Brazil we didn't have the same amount of control. Yes, we were good, but tonight the way we dominated the game was brutal," he said.

Meanwhile, veteran Barca defender Gerard Pique has volunteered to leave if that's what's best for the suffering club. "We must bring in new blood to change this dynamic, and if necessary, I would be the first to leave," he said.

In the semi-finals, Bayern Munich will face the winner between Manchester City and Lyon.