The right to face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final at Wembley on June 1 was the mighty prize on offer on Wednesday evening as Real Madrid took on Bayern Munich.
2-2 from the first leg, this encounter between two of Europe’s most relentlessly successful clubs was finely poised — and it showed in a cagey first half where the two goalkeepers dealt expertly with the few decent chances that were created. The closest either team came to scoring was a Vinicius Junior shot after 13 minutes that was touched onto the Bayern post by Manuel Neuer.
Real Madrid ramped up the pressure after half-time, with Vinicius looking particularly threatening. But Bayern — just as Madrid have done to Champions League opponents on so many occasions — soaked it up and stunned their opponents on the break via a wonderfully hit shot from Alphonso Davies.
Bayern could almost see Wembley on the horizon but this is Real Madrid, where even a journeyman like Joselu can become a Champions League legend. Two goals in three minutes from the former Stoke City striker sent the Bernabeu wild and sensationally booked Carlo Ancelotti’s team a trip to Wembley, but not before some late controversy.
Here, our writers answer some of the key questions from the game.
Just how did Real find a way to win yet again?
Madrid won a record-extending 36th La Liga title at the weekend and lifted the Supercopa de Espana (Spain’s equivalent of the Community Shield) in January — but neither of those compare to the Champions League.
Lifting the league title was an impressive achievement for a group who lost their first-choice goalkeeper and centre-back pairing to anterior cruciate ligament injuries this campaign, but there is a reason the celebrations for that trophy were postponed. Madrid measure themselves by nights like these and knew they would require all of their focus for this season-defining match against Bayern.
(Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Alphonso Davies’ curling effort came as a shock to Carlo Ancelotti’s side and it appeared as if their luck had run out when Nacho’s goal — via Matthijs de Ligt — was ruled out for a push on Joshua Kimmich. But Madrid always seem to find a way.
It was fitting that it should come from the most unlikely of circumstances — a late double from the substitute Joselu, who previously underwhelmed at Stoke and Newcastle United. First, the striker seized on a fumble from the otherwise excellent Manuel Neuer to slot home in the 88th minute. Then the Spaniard was in the right place to turn home a ball across goal from Antonio Rudiger. Cue delirium at the Bernabeu after an agonising VAR review.
Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero
How does Manuel Neuer get over this?
No question, he should have held the shot that Joselu gleefully steered home on the rebound. No doubt it cost Bayern a place in the Champions League final.
Older readers will remember a similar misfortune befalling Oliver Kahn in the 2002 World Cup final against Brazil It was a similar mistake, under similar circumstances. Kahn was outstanding during that tournament and was one of the reasons why Germany progressed so far.
(Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Neuer’s impact on this Champions League run might not have been as dramatic, but for 87 minutes in the Bernabeu he was absolutely exceptional, returning to something close to his very best. His double save in the first half was as good as any he has made in years, certainly since he returned from the broken leg he suffered while skiing 18 months ago.
How cruel. Neuer’s performance deserved better luck. No doubt this will provoke a debate around his age and longevity, but football is football and the game can be very unkind.
Seb Stafford-Bloor
Aleksandar Pavlovic’s performance was a bright spot for Bayern
This was a night when Aleksandar Pavlovic confirmed what everybody already knew. He is decadently talented.
Conveniently, Pavlovic is also Bavarian. He was born in Munich and raised within Bayern’s academy system. On match days, his popularity shows in the dozens of replica shirts that already bear his name, despite him having made fewer than 20 Bundesliga appearances in his nascent career.
But being homegrown only takes a player so far. Pavlovic has a rare ability to move the ball forward and his selection in the Bernabeu changed what Bayern were able to do in possession. He was elegant and effective in this game, making quick incisions between the Real lines and, at times, with his long legs, slightly crabbish gait and unorthodox skill, looking like a young Fernando Redondo.
Playing as he did in the first half on Wednesday night, in a game of such significance, in opposition to so many world-class players, really described the scale of his talent.
So, Bayern fans are hardly being drawn towards him out of obligation. They are not falling into that trap of overrating one of their own, either. At a time when their team is entering a period of renewal and so much is expected to change, Pavlovic’s future seems destined to be as the originality within their club’s midfield.
Seb Stafford-Bloor
How much of a joy was Toni Kroos?
Kroos has enjoyed one of his finest seasons in a Real Madrid shirt. The Germany midfielder’s contract is up this summer — but his performances this term have suggested he has plenty of years left in him.
The 34-year-old was Madrid’s conductor at the Allianz Arena in the first leg, playing a glorious inch-perfect pass to set Vinicius Junior away for his opener and completing 80 of his 86 passes with a 93 per cent success rate. It was a similar story in the first half at the Bernabeu as Kroos pinged passes out wide to Rodrygo and Federico Valverde and recorded a 96 per cent completion rate, although he enjoyed less influence than a week ago with Bayern tighter in defence.
(Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Caginess was the main theme of the opening period, with the best chance falling to Vinicius Junior in the 13th minute. It would have been a controversial opening effort as the Brazilian struck the underside of the post while another ball was still on the pitch — much to Bayern’s irritation — before Rodrygo’s follow-up was saved brilliantly by Manuel Neuer. Andriy Lunin was called into action later on to tip a Harry Kane shot round the post, but otherwise these two European giants gave little away before half-time.
Even so, it seemed clear any breakthrough was going to come from the man playing his usual ‘quarterback’ role for Madrid.
Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero
A tale of two flanks for Bayern
In the first leg of this semi-final clash, it was Leroy Sane’s switch to the right wing that sparked Bayern’s most dangerous attack. Joshua Kimmich’s overlapping run afforded Sane the space to cut inside and score at the near post at the start of the second half, and Thomas Tuchel stuck with the German winger on the right flank for the return leg.
Sane would keep his width and force Real Madrid’s Ferland Mendy to press him near the touchline, which allowed Joshua Kimmich to drive into half-space areas and look to exploit the gaps created — particularly in the first half, as he looked to underlap rather than overlap.
However, Bayern failed to make the most of the opportunities they had on the right side of the pitch. The runs were often the right ones, but the pass was frequently overhit, blocked, or not chosen at the crucial moment when a cool head was required. It was clear what Bayern wanted to do, but their execution just wasn’t up to scratch on the right.
For long periods Bayern’s right side looked notably more dangerous than their left — in part due to circumstance, as Serge Gnabry was forced off with a recurrence of his hamstring injury after just 27 minutes. Alphonso Davies replaced Gnabry, and offered similar pace but few people expected him to offer the same attacking threat.
(David Ramos/Getty Images)
That was until Davies drove inside onto his weaker right foot, and fired a bullet into the top corner to give Bayern the lead. With all of the attacking talent on show on the night, no one would have predicted that the Canadian international would be the one to show them how it’s done.
Mark Carey
What did Ancelotti say?
Carlo Ancelotti kept believing, even when his team were trailing. “We put fresh legs on the pitch,” he told TNT Sports after the game. “Joselu is a fantastic striker, we could use the wings more and get crosses in. We did really well and had a lot of energy at the end of the game.”
The Italian also praised his players’ mentality to keep winning games from difficult positions. “I am really grateful to them, they work really hard, they are really humble, really generous. I think it’s the best squad I have ever had in my career.”
What did Tuchel say?
Thomas Tuchel was very disappointed with the final stages of the game. “A very unusual mistake from our very best player (Neuer) for the equaliser,” he told TNT Sports.
“Then we conceded in a very narrow decision for the second one in stoppage time. Then we scored one… before a disastrous decision from the linesman and from the referee. It feels almost like a betrayal in the end.”
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