Sané and Musiala on the one hand, Vinicius Junior on the other – in the first semi-final between Bayern and Real, the so-called “difference players” agreed on a provisional draw. The continuation and then the decision will follow next week in the second leg in Madrid.
2:2 between Bayern and Real Madrid – after the first game in the first Champions League semi-final, everything is still possible. For both. The conclusion of this ultimately completely balanced comparison cannot be any different. Toni Kroos also saw it that way. “It’s a fair result of a rather strange game. It was up and down. The goals always fell for one team when the other team was a little better,” said Real Madrid’s German midfield strategist.
Konrad Laimer, FC Bayern’s very strong midfield clearer again that evening, had a very similar view: “We have to be happy with the result. Real Madrid have these extraordinary players who remain calm even under pressure and always stay in the game We’re in a position to strike. That’s what they did today. At least we managed a draw and nothing has been decided yet.”
A stroke of genius to make it 0-1
There were a few really anxious minutes for FC Bayern supporters. That was at the beginning of the second half. Real took a 1-0 lead into the second 45 minutes and let the ball and opponents run. Toni Kroos suddenly found himself free in front of Manuel Neuer, but his curling shot towards the right corner was missed by his national team colleague.
Toni Kross and Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid
And then came Leroy Sané. FC Bayern’s former problem child started inwards from the right corner of the penalty area with the ball at his feet and almost thundered the ball from 14 meters into the bottom right corner – the score was 1-1. An individual action by the “difference player” Sané suddenly brought Bayern back into the game.
Semifinal Champions League arrow right
Sané and Musiala turn the game around
And they have a second player in this category in Munich: Jamal Musiala. Only four minutes later, Lucas Vasquez was only able to stop his solo in the Real penalty area with a foul, giving Harry Kane a penalty, which he converted with his usual reliability. And Bayern, who had been shaky until then, had turned around a game that had threatened to slip out of their hands just minutes before.
Harry Kane from FC Bayern Munich celebrates after his goal against Real Madrid
It was a constant ups and downs. Now the victory that Bayern had wanted so much before the difficult return leg in Madrid was possible. But that slipped through the team’s fingers again. Because Real also has this “difference player” in their ranks with Vinicius Junior.
Thomas Klinger, Sportschau, April 30, 2024 11:36 p.m
And because Bayern made too many mistakes in defense that evening. Above all, central defender Kim, who made a fatal positional error at 0-1 and also made a mistake with Vinicius Junior’s penalty (83rd) before the 2-2 draw, when he was initially wrong and then caught the escaped Rodrygo off his feet in his own 16.
Tuchel: “Inexplicably weakened”
“They did to us what they do to everyone: two goals from two chances. That’s why it feels a bit strange now,” said Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel on Amazon Prime. He found: “These mistakes are annoying. But they also happen at this level. The starting position is now basically crystal clear. We don’t need to think about it now,” he emphasized: “90 minutes, 120 minutes, penalty shootout. Victory in Madrid and on to Wembley .”
So to be continued – Wednesday in a week (05/08/2024) in Madrid, when Bayern will certainly need an extraordinary performance to actually make it to the final. Musiala and Sané, who were in poor health, got fit again just in time for the first leg. Bayern will urgently need them again in Madrid. And then Thomas Tuchel remains confident: “Who knows what will happen, it’s still a 50:50 game for me.”