Bayern Munich's stunning 7-0 aggregate victory over Barcelona in the semifinals of the Champions League will count for nothing if the team does not go on to win the competition at Wembley later this month, Arjen Robben said on Wednesday.

"We said immediately after the game 'now we need to win it'," Robben, who curled home Bayern's first in the 3-0 win at the Nou Camp on Wednesday, said in a post-match TV interview.

"Our aim is to win it this time. We have played a superb season, and tonight again. Now we have to complete it on the 25th.

"We have to stay calm," he said ahead of the first all-German final against Borussia Dortmund on May 25. "At this moment we are playing great football and we have to enjoy this. But we have to try to improve over and over again.

"We are in the final for the third time in four years, but it's time to win it now. It's going to be a big one. Dortmund have proved they are a very good team."

Bayern was beaten by Chelsea on penalties on home turf in last year's final and suffered a defeat by Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan side in the 2010 final, but has the chance to make up for those disappointments against rival Dortmund.

Barca's Gerard Pique, who scored an own goal, said it had been a humbling night as Barca suffered its worst aggregate defeat in Europe.

"It isn't very nice to experience something like this," he said.

"I think we played a good first half but once they scored the first goal it knocked our morale. When a team is so superior you have to congratulate them.

"It obviously isn't the same to play without the best player in the world. We tried to score an early goal, but I don't think that whether Leo (Messi) played or not influenced the result."

Barca's president, Sandro Rosell, was gracious in defeat, saying Bayern was the outstanding team in Europe.

"I want to congratulate Bayern," he said. "They were clearly superior to us. They deserve to be in Wembley. I think Bayern are the strongest team in Europe, but anything can happen in the final."

Reuters

(China Daily 05/03/2013 page24)