The 34-year-old Spaniard came onto the field in the 81st minute and made it 1-1 after a mistake by the previously outstanding Bayern goalie Manuel Neuer (88th), three minutes later Joselu finished following a corner and a cross pass from Antonio Rüdiger to make it 2-1 (91st).
Previously, Alphonso Davies, who was substituted early on, had put the guests in the lead with a curling shot after a counterattack (68′). In the first half, the 14-time record winner Real had a goal from Vinicius jr. Bad luck, Neuer kept Bayern in the game with ÖFB team player Konrad Laimer before they took the lead and could dream of their first final appearance in four years.
AP/Manu Fernandez Neuer played an outstanding game, but made a mistake shortly before the end – the beginning of Bayern’s end
This means there will be no repeat of the 2013 German final in London, when Bayern defeated BVB 2-1. Rather, the German record champions will be reminded of the 1999 final, when they lost to Manchester United in injury time in Barcelona after taking a 1-0 lead. Marcel Sabitzer, an Austrian, will now be on Dortmund’s side in the 2024 final, and ÖFB star David Alaba is recovering from a torn cruciate ligament at Real Madrid.
With luck, Bayern initially keep the zero
Bayern, who remain without a title for the first time in twelve years, were once again left behind in the duel with the Madrilenians after 2014 (semi-finals), 2017 (quarter-finals) and 2018 (semi-finals). In the eagerly awaited second leg, Tuchel surprisingly relied on youngster Aleksandar Pavlovic; the 20-year-old was preferred over Leon Goretzka and worked the central midfield together with Laimer. In addition, attacker Serge Gnabry started instead of Thomas Müller, and Matthijs de Ligt, who was fit again, started in defense for Minjae Kim, who made a mistake in the first leg. At Real, right-back Daniel Carvajal returned to Carlo Ancelotti’s 4-3-3 after a suspension.
In front of almost 80,000 fans in the sold-out Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Real were initially the more active team. A Carvajal Stangl pass found no taker (6th), Gnabry suffered the same fate on the other side (8th). In the 13th minute, Bayern’s goal wobbled for the first time; a shot from Vinicius Jr., who was again outstanding, from a tight angle hit the inside bar after contact with Manuel Neuer’s fingertips. The Bayern goalie also parried Rodrygo’s follow-up shot.
Reuters/Violeta Santos Moura ÖFB team player Konrad Laimer (r.) threw himself into every duel again
Harry Kane knocked dangerously for the dethroned German series champions after just under half an hour, and the goalscorer forced Real goalie Andrij Lunin into a save with a volley from the edge of the penalty area (28th). Shortly before, Gnabry had left the pitch due to an injury. The Ancelotti team continued to control the action, and it was Neuer again who defused an increasingly long Vinicius cross at the last moment (40th).
Davies turns the game on its head
After the break, a deflected shot from Davies flew just over the Real goal (47th). A little later, Madrid were just centimeters away from celebrating their goal, and Rodrygo deflected a Vinicius Stangl pass just past the far corner (55′). The atmosphere did justice to the importance of the game, driven by this, both tried to set accents. In the 59th minute, Neuer was there for a Rodrygo free kick, and a minute later for a Vinicius shot.
IMAGO/Ulrich Hufnagel Alphonso Davies gave Bayern the lead with a curling shot
The double goalscorer in the first leg repeatedly played with Bayern right-back Kimmich on the left wing. But it was Davies, who had recently been out of form, who turned the game on its head. After a long Kane pass, the 23-year-old winger moved into the penalty area and finished unstoppable. The Madrilenians pushed for the equalizer, a supposed goal was disallowed by referee Szymon Marciniak, according to the video images, because of a clear push by Nacho against Joshua Kimmich.
Joselu celebrates, Bayern angry with the referee
The hosts, who were superior in terms of play, were still able to celebrate after the previously outstanding Neuer made a mistake and allowed Joselu to equalize after a Vinicius shot. In the 91st minute, the 34-year-old pushed a Rüdiger cross over the line and became a semi-final hero.
After the final whistle, Bayern were annoyed by a premature offside whistle in a tight situation near the penalty area (104th), moments later De Ligt put the ball in the Real goal. Due to the premature whistle, the scene could not be checked by VAR. “I think that’s incredible. I can not understand this. It’s not entirely clear, you have to let it play through,” said de Ligt and revealed that the referee apologized afterwards.
Voices about the game:
Konrad Laimer (Bayern player): “I think we can play better than today. Nevertheless, we take a 1-0 lead and everyone fights their way into the game. They do it well and put pressure on them and in the end they somehow managed to score a goal. Now we’re going home as losers. We have to learn from things like that because we can definitely win against a team like that here. They simply have great individuality and really want to, that’s what you saw. This is Madrid and its great strength.”
On the controversial offside situation shortly before the final whistle: “It feels like he lets everything happen the whole game. In the 90th + 15th, when we go forward again, he immediately whistles for offside. I do not understand that. We can’t change anything anyway, I noticed it during the game and thought to myself: Great, you don’t have to whistle right away, just let the game finish. It is very unnecessary in my opinion. It’s not like we play for fun, it’s a shame.”
Thomas Müller (Bayern player): “We put up a huge fight and left our hearts on the pitch. They have also had periods of pressure, we have to be honest. When you’re leading near the end, you really want to get this thing over the finish line. In the end it’s all about the millimeters – off or not off. Now they will tell the story of Saint Bernabeu again, and the result proves them right.”
Manuel Neuer (Bayern goalkeeper): “Unfortunately it hit us today, it’s bitter and that’s how we feel. This ball (note: at 1-1) didn’t come as expected – I expected it to hit the chest, but it came to the lower part of the neck. Then it was hard for me to hold him. We gave everything. We had one or two situations where we could have played it better.”
Antonio Rüdiger (Real player): “You always have to reckon with us. Of course, with a bit of luck we’ll make it 1-1 and then things can happen quickly. Bayern are always a tough opponent. They played a lot on the counterattack today and left the ball to us. It’s just crazy that we’re coming back.”
UEFA Champions League, semi-final second leg
Wednesday:
Real Madrid – Bayern Munich 2:1 (0:0)
Madrid, Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, SR Marciniak (POL)
Torfolge:
0:1 Davies (68.)
1:1 Joselu (88.)
2:1 Joselu (91.)
Real: Lunin – Carvajal, Rüdiger, Nacho, Mendy – Valverde (81./Joselu), Kroos (69./Modric), Tchouameni (69./Camavinga) – Bellingham (100. Eder Militao) – Rodrygo (81. Diaz), Vinicius Jr.
Bayern: Neuer – Kimmich, De Ligt, Dier, Mazraoui – Laimer, Pavlovic – Sane (76th/Kim), Musiala (85th/Müller), Gnabry (27th/Davies) – Kane (84th/Choupo-Moting)
Yellow cards: Camavinga or Tuchel (Bayern coach)
First leg: 2-2 – Real with an aggregate score of 4-3 in the final on June 1st in London (Wembley Stadium)
First semi-final second leg on Tuesday: Paris Saint-Germain – Borussia Dortmund 0:1 (overall score 0:2)
2024-05-08 22:41:15
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