Goals and spectacle at the Allianz Arena in Munich in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final between Bayern and Real Madrid: it ended 2-2 with the Spaniards who, having initially taken the lead, were retaken and even overtaken before grabbing the equalizer in the final minutes thanks to the usual Vinicius.
There is a full house in the Bavarian stadium for the highlight match of the week. And the teams on the field honor their commitment by playing openly. It is the hosts, encouraged by the crowd, who lead the game throughout the beginning of the match: possession of the ball which translates into dangerous actions thanks to Sané’s ideas and Kane’s openings. The Blancos keep good guard and, in fact, leave no space for their opponents. The visiting team, wearing a dark shirt for the occasion, prefers to leave the initiative to the Bavarians. Thomas Tuchel’s eleven took advantage of the situation and maintained the dribble but just when the game seemed to be blocked, Real’s breakthrough came: in the 24th minute Kroos fed Vinicius who surprised Kim on the counterattack and put past Neuer. Bayer feels the pinch and also risks conceding another goal.
In the second half Real started well. The Germans needed an episode to break the deadlock: in the 9th minute Sané took care of it, entering the area on the right and shooting from mid-range towards the post to the left of Lunin, who was not blameless. Another 4 minutes pass and the second goal arrives: Musiala, unleashed, is brought down in the area by Lucas Vazquez. Referee Turpin whistles the penalty which Kane converts, displacing Lunin. The hosts spread and came close to making it 3-1 several times thanks to the efforts of Musiala and Kane.
Real Madrid suffers. Carlo Ancelotti recalls a good Kroos and Bellingham to the bench, who had been disappointing up to that point. In their place Modric and Diaz who demonstrate that they deserve the trust of the Italian coach. The first sends Vinicius into the net to whom only an amazing Neuer denies the goal. Diaz instead serves the assist for Rodrigo who is brought down in the area by the former Neapolitan Kim. The Korean is having a bad evening. Second penalty of the match awarded by the excellent Turpin. Vinicius takes the spot and scores his personal brace to bring the game to a 2-2 final.
Bayern is looking for the victory that they would have deserved on points. But the final whistle arrives and sends the teams to the locker rooms. The return match is on May 8th at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid. The Champions League final is up for grabs and is worth an entire season.
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