Will be Real Madrid-Borussia Dortmund the final of Champions League 2023/24. Los Blancos eliminated in the semi-finals Bayern Monaco winning 2-1 at the “Bernabeu” after the 2-2 draw in the first leg, at the end of a crazy and spectacular match. After dominating far and wide Ancelotti’s men were punished by the pearl of Davies (68′), but they found the strength to overturn it in a heart-pounding finale: absolute protagonist Joseluwith a pedigree bomber doublet between 88′ and 91′. For the Italian coach it will be the sixth Champions League final in his careerthe 18th for the Madrid club.
THE MATCH
Il Real he starts with his foot on the accelerator and in the 13th minute he goes twice very close to the lead: Carvajal fishing Vinicius in the heart of the area, the Brazilian unleashes a right-footed shot full on the pole after a decisive deflection from Neuer; the ball returns to the foot of Rodrygobut still Neuer if it exceeds and denies him the goal with a film archive intervention. Bayern struggled to find countermeasures and in the 27th minute Tuchel also loses Gnabry to injurydeciding to replace it with Davies. The Germans have their first good chance a minute later, when Kane invents a great right hand volley from the edgeThat The moon stretches to the corner. Just before the interval he was once again the protagonist Neuerwho deflects with the glove a cross shot by Vinicius intended for the internet.
In the second half the music does not change. There is always one person who leads Real’s attacks unleashed Vinicius, who basically does what he wants on the left, but who struggles to find a winning side in his teammates. In the 55th minute he tries to give it to him Rodrygo, who manages to hit his compatriot’s cross with his left foot, but only grazes the post. The former Santos player also tries from a free kick a few minutes later, but his punishment And rejected by the usual Neuer. The Bayern captain then had to overcome himself in the 60th minute, when he made a comeback neutralizes the conclusion of an elusive Vinicius, a real nightmare for the Bavarian defense. The game is essentially played with just one goal, but as soon as the home team goes unbalanced, the guests strike: Davies he receives the ball too freely on the left, then he is phenomenal at centralizing and making exploding a right-footed shot to the far post was uncatchable for Lunin. Ancelotti tries to take cover by inserting Modric e CamavingaReal immediately equalized with a autogol di De Ligt in Mischiama Marciniak cancels due to a clear foul by Nacho (who had kicked the ball) on Kimmich. Bayern is one step away from achieving the feat, but at the best moment it comes betrayed by the man who until then had been the hero of the evening: Neuer he lets a far from irresistible shot from Vinicius slip through his hands, the new substitute pounces on the ball Joselu what does he do 1-1.
The ending is nothing short of incandescent: Joselu he is unleashed and scores the 2-1Marciniak canceled due to an offside signalma he Was confirms that Rudiger’s position (author of the decisive assist) is good and the “Bernabeu” can explode. The match ends after almost a quarter of an hour of injury time, but in the final moments there is time for a episode destined to spark discussion: De Ligt scores the goal of 2-2 immediately after the referee had stopped the action for offside. A offside flaunted with some hastecontrary to what usually happens in Var time, and on which the images leave many doubts. Il Bayern is furiousbut the substance does not change: Real Madrid is once again in the final.
REPORT CARDS
Vinicius 7 – A thorn in the side, a real nightmare for the Bavarian defense. He tries in every way, hitting Neuer several times and an overall solid defense, but in the end it is he who propitiates the 1-1 goal that changes Real’s evening.
Bellingham 5 – A shadow for 100 minutes. If Real’s constant attacks don’t find any winning ways it’s also because he isn’t very much in the heart of the game and not in the heart of the area, where he could do more harm with his insertions than he does.
Joselu 8 – He comes on in the 81st minute and it almost seems like a move of desperation, but his voracity for goals makes the difference. He pounces on the two decisive balls and sends them to the final
Neuer 6 – The rating can only be the average between the 7.5 that he deserves up until the 88th minute and the 4.5 that costs him the duck that brings Real Madrid level. When everything seemed done, or almost done, the most unexpected betrayal.
Sane 5 – It never turns on and when it does it often makes mistakes. An evening simply to forget.
De Ligt 6 – Have a solid performance, holding their own despite Real’s constant attacks. As the entire German rearguard went a bit silly at the end, the match will also remember that 2-2 that could have been and wasn’t.
THE SCORESHEET
Real Madrid-Bayern Monaco 2-1
Real Madrid (4-3-3): Lunin 6.5; Carvajal 6.5, Rugiger 6.5, Nacho 6.5, Mendy 6; Valverde 5.5 (36′ st Joselu 8), Tchouameni 6 (25′ st Camavinga 6), Kroos 6.5 (25′ st Modric6); Rodrygo 6 (36′ st Diaz 6), Bellingham 5 (45’+10 st Militao st), Vinicius 7.
Trainer: Ancelotti 7
Bayern Monaco (4-2-3-1): New 6; Kimmich 5.5, De Ligt 6, Dier 5.5, Mazraoui 5.5; Laimer 6, Pavlovic 5.5; Sané 5 (31′ st Kim 6), Musiala 5.5 (40′ st Muller 6), Gnabry 5.5 (27′ Davies 7); Kane 6 (40’st Choupo-Moting 6).
Trainer: Tuchel 5.5
Referee: Marciniak
Markers: 23′ st Davies (B), 43′ st e 45’+1 st Joselu (R)
Warned: Camavinga (R)
Expelled:
THE STATISTICS
● Real Madrid have reached the European Cup/UEFA Champions League final for the 18th time in their history: at least six more than any other team (following Bayern Munich, eliminated this evening by Los Blancos).
● Carlo Ancelotti reached his sixth UEFA Champions League final as a manager: at least two more than any other manager in the competition.
● Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund will face each other in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League final for the first time in the history of the competition.
● Joselu is only the second Spanish player capable of scoring multiple goals in a semi-final of the modern UEFA Champions League after Sergio Ramos on 29 April 2014, also in that case against Bayern Munich (double for both).
● The last time two teams had scored at least one goal each with substitute players in the same UEFA Champions League semi-final was 15 April 1998: Nicola Amoruso for Juventus and Robert Spehar for Monaco (match then ended with a score of 3-2 for the French).
● This is the first time in the history of the modern UEFA Champions League that at least three goals have been scored by substitute players in a semi-final of the tournament.
● Carlo Ancelotti has never lost in 10 matches as manager against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League (W7, D3): an absolute unbeaten record for a manager against a single opponent in the tournament.
● Carlo Ancelotti today made his 20th appearance in the UEFA Champions League semi-final: the Italian coach has joined Pep Guardiola in first place among the managers who have played the most matches in this round of the competition.
● Jude Bellingham is only the second English player in the history of the modern UEFA Champions League to reach the final of the tournament with a Spanish team, after Steve McManaman, also with Real Madrid (twice, in 1999/00 and 2001/02) .
● Toni Kroos today became the seventh player to reach the milestone of 150 UEFA Champions League appearances. Three of the six previous players to reach this milestone played their 150th match in the tournament wearing a Real Madrid shirt (Iker Casillas, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema), while the only other German player to do so was Thomas Müller, himself in the first leg of this double challenge.
● Alphonso Davies, with his first goal in the UEFA Champions League, is the first Canadian player to score a goal in a match in the knockout phase of the competition.
● Before Alphonso Davies, no Bayern Munich player had ever scored a goal when entering a UEFA Champions League semi-final.
● Alphonso Davies is only the second player in the history of the modern UEFA Champions League to score a goal as a substitute in a semi-final against Real Madrid, after Julián Álvarez in the last edition of the tournament; he was the first to do so at Los Blancos.
● Harry Kane is the player who has been involved in the most goals in this edition of the UEFA Champios League: 12, the result of eight goals and four assists.