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Bayern Munich ousts Benfica, emerges as new Champions League title favorite

Football Soccer - Benfica v Bayern Munich - UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg - Estadio da Luz - 13/4/16 Bayern Munich's Arturo Vidal celebrates scoring their first goal Reuters / Rafael Marchante Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY.

On a Champions League matchday that saw an immovable Atletico Madrid defense hold firm against the unprecedented attacking force of Lionel Messi's Barcelona in Spain, Bayern Munich was busy trying to overcome a similar challenge in Portugal during its own quarterfinal second leg on Wednesday.

Bayern carried a 1-0 first-leg advantage to Benfica but found itself tied 1-1 after only 27 minutes when Mexico forward Raul Jimenez beat goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to the ball and scored on a leaping header. Having struggled to muster just one goal at home against what manager Pep Guardiola called the best backline in Europe, the Bundesliga powerhouse appeared to be in another tactical battle to keep its Champions League title hopes alive.

[ Play Daily Fantasy Soccer | Champions League scores and schedule ]

But then Arturo Vidal sent a thunderbolt of a volley into the top left corner. And just seven minutes after the break, Thomas Muller scored to put Benfica into a 3-1 aggregate hole that would require three goals to erase. Bayern Munich had come through like the soccer world expects it to do in trying times.

The Germans held on for a 2-2 draw to advance 3-2 on aggregate and book their place in the Champions League semifinals for the fifth straight season. They join Real Madrid, Manchester City and giant killer Atletico Madrid in the final four.

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But now that Barcelona is out, Guardiola's men stand as the new favorites to raise the Champions League trophy on May 28 in Milan. The bookmakers concur even before Friday's semifinal draw.

Vidal, the key summer signing from Juventus, displayed extraordinary skill in getting Bayern on the board. His left-footed volley looked like it was shot out of a cannon as it rocketed past goalkeeper Ederson Moraes and crashed into the back of the net.

Muller's goal was classic Muller, as the German always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Then again, Benfica's defense conveniently fell asleep as no one in a red shirt challenged Xabi Alonso's corner kick.

Javi Martinez headed the ball down and back across the goal mouth, where Muller raced in to toe-poke it in for a 3-1 aggregate lead. If Muller had missed it, Franck Ribery would've scored – that's how badly Benfica left Bayern open in the box.

Anderson Talisca provided some consolation for Benfica with a sweet free kick in the 76th minute.

And for you El Tri fans, here is Jimenez's header. Enjoy.

So it's on to the semifinals for Bayern, which gets to continue its mission to claim a sixth European crown. The accomplishment would be the ultimate going-away present for the Manchester City-bound Guardiola.

Real Madrid has the talent to get to the final, but it needed a Cristiano Ronaldo hat trick to get past a Wolfsburg side currently eighth in the Bundesliga and 36 points behind league-leading Bayern. Manchester City, in eliminating Paris-Saint Germain, finally took the next step in its quest to conquer Europe, but the Citizens enter new territory having made its first-ever Champions League semifinal.

Let's not dismiss what Atletico Madrid achieved against Barcelona to help elevate Bayern Munich to its new top-dog status. If Bayern is the team to beat, Atletico is surely the team no one wants to face.