Real Madrid 2-1 Bayern (agg: 4-3): Joselu’s late double evokes impressive comeback | UEFA Champions League

Joselu’s brace took Real Madrid to their 18th European Cup final at the expense of Bayern München, the 14-time winners producing another memorable semi-final at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu to set up a final against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on June 1 .

The game in summary: Joselu denies Bayern twice

Unlike the draw in the first leg in Bavaria, Carlo Ancelotti’s men sought to dictate the game from the start and dominated the match from the start, with Vinícius Júnior as the outlet they sought to exploit up front.

After scoring two goals in Munich, the Brazilian tested Manuel Neuer with the first shot of an intense first half. The 38-year-old goalkeeper received the slightest touch to convert a low shot inside his post. Bayern’s number 1 recovered quickly and in the second half he cleared Rodrgyo’s rebound.

It took Bayern until just before the half hour mark to react. A deft volley from Harry Kane forced Andriy Lunin to swing the post to full extension.

The pace of Bayern substitute Alphonso Davies, who came on for the injured Serge Gnabry in the first half, stretched the home defense and the substitute’s deflected shot early in the second half went over Lunin but into the roof of the goal. Ukrainian network.

The two teams exchanged attacking blows with increasing regularity, Vinícius Júnior intervening from the left wing to gallop into the area before catching Rodrygo, who could only push wide. Neuer then equalized Rodrygo’s free kick before Vinícius Júnior forced an acrobatic save after a labyrinthine run from the left.

But it was the speed and powerful running of Bayern’s Davies that sparked the first goal. Racing onto Kane’s lofted ball from just inside the Bavarians’ half, the Canadian international lowered his shoulder to deceive Antonio Rüdiger and deflect possession to his right, before turning brilliantly into the far corner.

The home team pushed for an equalizer, and Vinícius Júnior got the ball after Rüdiger passed the ball over Bayern’s defensive line, but Madrid, who had scored in every home game in the knockout phase of this tournament since April 2011, he couldn’t. should not be denied.

It was one of Ancelotti’s substitutes who made the game change. Joselu, sent off with just over ten minutes remaining, was the quickest to react when Neuer could not hold off a powerful shot from Vinícius Júnior.

Recalling Los Merengues’ semi-final comeback against Manchester City here two years ago, when substitute Rodrygo scored twice late on, the 34-year-old pounced on his second goal in stoppage time, guiding Rüdiger’s low cross to complete an impressive comeback. and book a date with Dortmund at Wembley on June 1.

This is how it happened: Real Madrid 2-1 Bayern

PlayStation® Player of the Match: Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)

“His direct play was a constant threat that made Madrid believe in victory. His approach to the game was contagious and his numerous one-on-one situations helped create the all-important first goal for the home team.”
UEFA Technical Observer Panel

Graham Hunter, Real Madrid reporter

Nobody, simply nobody who has seen Madrid’s ‘comebacks’ (not only in recent seasons but throughout generations) stopped believing for even a second. Not a millisecond. And even less so Ancelotti and his men sponsored by Harry Houdini. Is the hour coming, is the man coming? The last minutes arrive, the man in the white shirt arrives. Again. Magical, wonderful, Madrid.

James Thorogood, Bayern reporter

Bayern were very close to completing the ‘Wembley 2.0’ lineup with Dortmund. In the context of this tumultuous season, what could have been a magical night at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium becomes a truly heartbreaking experience. The Bavarian giants reminded everyone of their quality in this exciting Champions League campaign that came within minutes of taking them to their twelfth final.

Reaction

Vinícius Júnior, Player of the Match, speaking with movistar: “This is Real Madrid! We always, always believe. It’s simply magical to play for this team, in this stadium and do it so many times. This is just one more case in which, because we always believe in ourselves, we can win.” . “We know we can make a difference, no matter what.”

Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid midfielder, speaking with DAZN: “Character sums up tonight’s game. The theme of our season. We have quality and talent in abundance, but in some of these games where it seems like we are down or out, we have players who come off the bench and can do a job and still win a game.

Carlo Ancelotti, coach of Real Madrid: “Well, it’s happened again. It’s happened so often. Fans pushing us forward, a fantastic stadium, players who never stop believing… it’s just magical. As soon as we scored a goal, I absolutely knew we were going and we could go.” “Finding the winner and achieving it is difficult, perhaps impossible to explain, but I will try. This competition makes all our players feel something special when they put on the jersey.”

Thomas Tuchel, Bayern coach, speaking with DAZN: “It will take a while to recover, but on the one hand it is a defeat in which we left everything on the field. I have no regrets.”

Manuel Neuer, Bayern goalkeeper, speaking with DAZN: “Anyone who has played football knows how I feel right now. That we have been eliminated in the last minutes, after having led 1-0 until the 85th minute, is very bitter. We had taken a step towards London. We saw ourselves in the final and now I’m left speechless”.

Matthijs de Ligt, Bayern defender, speaking with DAZN: “I think we saw it (how cruel football is) tonight. We put in a solid performance for the 90 minutes, very mature, very compact and we defended very well. We also had great opportunities to create something and that was maybe the only thing that “It’s good when you play like that for so long against Madrid, at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, but it’s a shame when, like so many times against Real Madrid, you give the game away.”

Key statistics

• Joselu has scored five goals in his last seven Champions League games.
• The Spanish international is the third substitute to score two goals in a Champions League semi-final match, after Liverpool’s Georginio Wijnaldum in 2018/19 and Real Madrid’s Rodrygo in 2021/22.
• Ancelotti will play in his sixth Champions League final as coach, further extending his record in the competition.
• Toni Kroos became the seventh player to reach 150 appearances in the UEFA Champions League, and only the second German, after Bayern’s Thomas Müller, to reach that mark.
• Real Madrid’s number 8 played in his twentieth semi-final of the tournament, only Cristiano Ronaldo (21) participated in more.

Fantasy Star Artists

Joselu: 9 points
Vinícius Júnior: 8 points
Alfonso Davies: 7 points

lineups

real Madrid: Lunin; Carvajal, Rüdiger, Nacho, Mendy; Valverde (Joselu 81), Kroos (Modrić 69), Tchouaméni (Camavinga 69); Bellingham (Militão 90+10); Rodrygo (Brahim Díaz 81), Vinícius Júnior

Bavarian: Neuer; Kimmich, De Ligt, Dier, Mazraoui; Laimer, Pavlovic; Sané (Kim 76), Musiala (Müller 85), Gnabry (Davies 27); Kane (Choupo-Moting 84)