For twenty minutes, FC Bayern was on the way to London for the Champions League final, a repeat of the 2013 final against Borussia Dortmund. But then Real Madrid came back, turned the game around and won this semi-final second leg 2-1 on Wednesday at the Bernabéu Stadium, which was enough to destroy Munich’s dream after the 2-2 draw in the first leg just over a week ago.
Strictly speaking, the Spaniards were the better, more active team until Alphonso Davies took the lead in Munich. But that evening, FC Bayern, like RB Leipzig and Manchester City before them, had to realize that Real Madrid always had an answer, even in a game in which there had been a lack of effectiveness for a long time. Two late joker goals from Joselu ended Munich’s hopes of following Borussia Dortmund into the final and fighting for the top spot at Wembley Stadium on June 1st.
A few hours before the game began, there was a lot of activity in Madrid on the way to the Cibeles Fountain, where Real traditionally celebrate the title with their fans. But it wasn’t the madridistas who blocked the road to the goddess Cybele, but demonstrators. For many Madrilenians, the day of the semi-final was not just about football, but also about preserving the public school system.
But if, in addition to the championship celebration at the beginning of June, there is perhaps a second title to celebrate, that of the Champions League winner, protests will probably no longer be a problem, as the space around the famous fountain will be firmly in the hands of Real and the fans be. In Munich, on the other hand, city hall employees do not have to work weekends this year and there is no reception on the balcony.
Surprising personalities
Bayern probably had very mixed feelings about Dortmund’s success in the first semi-final the day before. On the one hand, a new edition of the 2013 final would be a great thing, but on the other hand, the pressure on the Munich team increased a little. In the past eleven years they have always been ahead against their previously briefly rebellious rivals from Dortmund – and please let it stay that way.
It was clear during the final training session on Tuesday in Munich that there would be a few surprising personnel changes. Tuchel decided not to put Konrad Laimer alongside Leon Goretzka as in the first leg, but rather the young Aleksandar Pavlovic. “We need a lot of courage in the gaps, especially in central midfield. That’s exactly his characteristic,” said the Bayern coach, explaining the move to DAZN. In attack, Serge Gnabry was in the starting line-up instead of Thomas Müller in order to be able to “be a little more aggressive on the wings”.
However, after almost half an hour, Tuchel had to at least abandon his wing plan because Gnabry was injured. Alphonso Davies came into play. Before that, Gnabry had only been able to put himself in the spotlight once; his shot from a half-left position was the first chance for Munich (8th). However, the ball landed just next to the goal.
Real determines the game
Before and after, however, the Spaniards were closer to the lead in this first half. For the first time, a cross pass from Dani Carvajal in front of the goal caused danger, but Rodrygo narrowly missed the ball (6th).
And because the goal aluminum obviously means very well for German teams in this Champions League semi-final, a shot from Vinicius Junior in the 13th minute landed on the post and not in the goal. Rodrygo’s follow-up shot was grabbed by Manuel Neuer. The Munich goalkeeper also thwarted Real’s third good chance before the break when he parried away a shot from Vinicius.
And FC Bayern? Harry Kane, who was well guarded by the Real defense, tried a long-range shot after half an hour, but Neuer’s colleague Andriy Lunin was also attentive and directed the ball towards the corner with his fingertips.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team dominated the game differently than a week ago, but without completely dominating their opponents. Until then, the Munich team had made few mistakes, played patiently, but were only rarely able to break free. “You have to accept that Madrid sometimes have a chance to score,” Tuchel said before the game. “This will pass if we stay smart.”
Pure joy: With his goal, Davies turns the game on its head.AP
But it didn’t go away in the second half either. And again and again Vinicius Junior came dangerously into the Munich half. Eric Dier cleared once, Matthijs de Ligt a few minutes later. Real now had more of a chance to score, but unlike in the first leg, the Royals lacked effectiveness this time. If a Munich player didn’t clear, then the post helped Rodrygo’s direct pass, as it did in the 55th minute.
Then it happened, as it sometimes happens, when you don’t take advantage of your best chances. FC Bayern started one of its rare forays and took the lead. Alphonso Davies took advantage of the space on the left and made it 1-0 (68′).
Ancelotti now took Toni Kroos out of the game and replaced him with Luka Modric. The Croatian had only been on the pitch for a few minutes when the ball ended up in Bayern’s goal. After a corner, the ball bounced off Davies. But because Nacho had previously grabbed Joshua Kimmich’s face with his hands, the VAR intervened – and referee Szymon Marciniak from Poland overturned the goal to the whistles of the angry Real fans.
Almost desperate, Madrid besieged half of Munich and ran furiously. A mistake from Neuer brought the Spaniards back into the game. The ball slipped through the Bayern captain’s arms after Vinicius’ shot, and substitute Joselu quickly switched gears and scored to make it 1-1 (88′).
And just two minutes later, Real turned the game around. Bayern had not yet recovered from the shock of the equalizer, were not well positioned at a corner and suddenly Joselu was free and scored to make it 2-1 (90th). The German record champions barely had the strength to stand up again. In the 13th minute of stoppage time, de Ligt scored again for Bayern, but the referee had already blown the whistle early and decided: no goal – and therefore no participation in the final for FC Bayern Munich.