Football
Mark Lovell, Bayern Munich blogger 7y

Fit-again Franck Ribery involved in everything Bayern did - Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti paid tribute to the fully-fit again Franck Ribery as 18-time winners Bayern Munich strolled into the DFB Pokal semifinal with a comfortable 3-0 home victory over Schalke on Tuesday.

Ribery, 33, hadn't featured since Bayern's 2-1 Bundesliga victory in Bremen in late January after suffering a strained muscle at the back of his right thigh during training. But Bayern's second-longest serving player returned with stunning effect as the cup holders sealed an eighth-consecutive semifinal spot.

The former France international set up the opener in the third minute with an inch-perfect pass to Robert Lewandowski, who lifted over the onrushing Schalke goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann.

"Franck is fit and played very well," Ancelotti said. "He was involved in every goal and I'm very pleased for him.

"We started really well playing with a high press. We put Schalke's defence under pressure and controlled the game well."

Ribery played a major part in the second goal too, finding Lewandowski in space down the left flank to deliver a weighted cross to Thiago who firmly nodded home to double the lead.

For Bayern's third and final goal of the evening, Ribery had all the time in the world to locate Lewandowski, who finished with aplomb inside the opening 30 minutes.

Lewandowski, who took his goal tally to 30 for the season with another brace, echoed his boss' sentiment: "Offensively we were great in the opening stages and scored three goals. Schalke couldn't do anything about it."

The draw for the semifinals was made in the aftermath, and cup holders Bayern will play either Borussia Dortmund or third-tier Sportfreunde Lotte, whose match on Tuesday was postponed due to inclement weather, in the last four on April 25 or 26.

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