Bayern Munich got a great victory in the Champions League

Bayern Munich got a great result against Sporting Lisbon. They beat the Portuguese team in the Champions League, even though Roy Makaay was just sitting on the bench.

Bastian Schweinsteiger netted the only goal of the match - a crackerjack 30-yard strike - but his night turned sour when he was sent off less than a minute into the second half after picking up his second yellow card.

We must notice that it was backs to the wall stuff from Bayern after that, but they held firm to put themselves on the brink of qualification for the knock-out stages.

Schweinsteiger gave an early warning of what was to come when his dipping effort from distance was fumbled by Ricardo within the first part of the game.

And the Portugal international again let the ball slip minutes later when he sent Mark van Bommel's effort into the path of Claudio Pizarro.

The Peruvian striker was seemingly held back by a tug on his shirt from Marco Caneira but Bayern's penalty claims were turned down.

Tho local team were struggling to get a foothold in the game and it was no surprise when Bayern took the lead. Schweinsteiger cut inside after receiving the ball on the left, and his wickedly swerving effort from more than 30 yards left Ricardo with no chance.

It was no more than the visitors - who had scored six goals in their previous two Champions League matches - deserved, and they immediately pressed for a second.

Four minutes later, Pizarro found himself in space just yards from goal, but headed Willy Sagnol's cross into the side netting.

It took 25 minutes for Sporting to work a position to test Bayern, but Jorge Carlos Martins pulled his shot wide with two players bearing down on goal.

As Sporting belatedly began to make an impression on the clash, both Schweinsteiger and Andreas Ottl picked up bookings for niggly fouls.

That's why Kahn was finally made to work when Liedson shot powerfully from a narrow angle forcing the keeper to save at full stretch.

In fact, Sporting were enjoying a nice period of pressure with a succession of corners testing the visitors' defence.

After being overwhelmed for the first 20 minutes, it was Sporting who finished the half stronger and Miguel Veloso's deflected strike sent Kahn sprawling, but Bayern held onto the lead going into the break.

Barely had fans taken their seats for the second half when Schweinsteiger's extraordinary evening took a turn for the worse.

His trip on substitute Yannick Djalo, who had only been on the pitch for 30 seconds, elicited a second yellow card from referee Terje Hauge, and Scwheinsteiger was forced not only out of the rest the match, but also the return fixture in two weeks time.

Sporting poured forward as they sought to make the most of their man advantage, and it almost paid off.

We must remember that on 58 minutes, Anderson Polga's shot flicked the outside of the post with Kahn stranded.

With Schweinsteiger back in the changing rooms and both Santa Cruz and Podolski withdrawn, Bayern were virtually non-existent as an attacking force.

Obviously, this time it was not Makaay's time. With so many competitive striker in the squad, it will be a hard battle for a place in the starting team.