And now, the pièce de résistance ... Sid Lowe’s verdict! Enjoy, enjoy ... and please join us again tomorrow night as Jurgen Klopp’s unpredictable but entertaining Liverpool take on Roma as they try to join Real Madrid in the final of the 2018 Champions League. If the match in the Stadio Olimpico is half as good as the one we’ve witnessed at the Bernabéu tonight, we’ll be in for a cracker. Nighty night!
Bayern were the better side tonight, but that’s the way the cookie sometimes crumbles in Europe. Hey, just ask Leeds or Manchester United. If the naked eye isn’t good enough for you, the stats tell the story: Bayern enjoyed 57% possession, and had 20 attempts on goal compared to Real’s nine. But Real fought tooth and nail in defence, and grabbed the gift they were presented with 21 seconds into the second half with both hands. They’ve passed a couple of fairly thorough examinations by Juventus and Bayern, who threw everything at them; they’ll take some stopping in the final.
Real celebrate in front of their fans, as you’d expect them to, though it’s not a full-on cavort. They’re tired, they know they were pushed to the absolute limit tonight ... and of course they’re getting used to this. This will be their 16th final, their third in a row, and their fourth in the last five seasons. It’s some record: not quite up there with the achievements of 1956-1960, but not far off, and in the modern era to boot. Bayern threw everything at them tonight, but they did what great champions teams do: hung in, fought hard, and found a way to get the result they needed despite not being at their best. They’re now 90 minutes away from becoming European champions for the 13th time!
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Several Bayern players instantly dissolve into tears. And no wonder. They were brilliant tonight, but two slapstick mistakes over the piece have cost them a place in the final. Meanwhile Real’s dream of three in a row is alive and well! The final in Kyiv on May 26 will be contested by Real Madrid and Roma ... or Real Madrid and Liverpool! We’ll know the exact details in 24 hours or so.
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FULL TIME: Real Madrid 2-2 Bayern Munich (agg 4-3)
Hummels sends a hail mary into the box that Muller very nearly meets on the right-hand corner of the six-yard box. But it’s all over! Real are in the final again!
90 min +4: Real earn a corner down the right. The Bernabeu celebrates wildly, as the clock trundles towards the end of added time.
90 min +3: Javi Martinez flicks an inventive pass down the left to release Hummels into the box! Instead of shooting, he looks to turn the ball inside for Lewandowski. But the ball takes a deflection which allows Navas to snaffle.
90 min +2: From the corner, Hummels wins a free header six yards out! But he sends his downwards effort inches wide of the right-hand post. So close to Kiev! But so far!
90 min +1: Navas eventually gets up. Then there’s some head tennis in the Real area that leads to a corner on the left.
90 min: Thiago hangs the ball up. Navas comes out and punches away for a throw, under pressure from Lewandowski. Navas stays down. There will be five minutes of added time!
89 min: Muller goes on a power dribble down the inside-left channel. He cuts inside and is cynically clipped by Casemiro, who is booked. A free kick, 35 yards out. A chance to load the box. Too far out to shoot directly, surely.
88 min: Asensio is replaced by Nacho. Asensio takes his leave in the professional style, even stopping mid-meander to roll down his socks and sort out his shinpads. Then he spins to say goodbye, applauding every corner of the stadium before he departs. The clock ticks on. He’s cheeky, but polite.
86 min: Ronaldo spins on a sixpence and flicks a gorgeous ball through a gap between three red shirts, sending Bale clear down the left! Bale’s free in the area, but takes a heavy touch allowing Ulreich to save. And he’s marginally offside anyway.
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84 min: A pause in play as Asensio receives treatment for some leg issue or other. James is replaced by Javi Rodriguez.
82 min: Ribery races down the left and feeds the relentless Alaba on the overlap. Alaba’s low cross evades Muller and Lewandowski in the middle. Real hack clear. Bayern have been brilliant tonight, two rushes of blood at the start of the second half excepted.
80 min: The corner on the left comes to nothing. But this is good pressure from Bayern, who are doing all they can to find the goal that would knock the holders out and send the German champs to the final. The Bernabeu is accordingly tense.
79 min: Thiago strips the ball from Modric and sends Alaba away down the left. The resulting cross is met by Muller, who heads down to the bottom right. Navas turns it around the post in slightly uncertain fashion. The corner on the right leads to a corner on the left.
78 min: Ronaldo dribbles with great purpose down the right, but is stopped in his tracks by Sule, just before he’s got a chance to break into the box and shoot. Corner, which is worked to Marcelo out on the left. Marcelo is in a lot of space, but his cross is way too deep and wild. Another goal kick.
77 min: This match is beautifully poised. One more goal for Bayern, and the reigning champions will be out. One more for Real, and it’s surely all over. Ronaldo bursts down the left and feeds Bale, who looks to have done enough to earn a corner, but Bayern get the decision. Goal kick.
75 min: Tolisso is replaced by Wagner. And Bayern continue to push, Alaba crossing from the left for James, who tries to force the ball into the bottom left from the middle of a thicket of players. Navas claims.
74 min: Alaba romps down the left yet again. He crosses deep. Muller heads down, and Tolisso smacks goalwards. Navas, who has been superb, parries strongly.
73 min: Benzema and Kovacic are replaced by Bale and Casemiro.
71 min: Kovacic is inches away from sending Ronaldo clear into the box with a sliderule pass down the inside-right channel. Not quite. Hummels intercepts just in time.
69 min: Lewandowski wins a bouncing ball in the centre circle and sends Ribery skating down the left. Real are very light at the back, and Muller is clear in the middle! Ribery can’t find him with a pass, though, shepherded down the wing by Lucas Vazquez. That’s excellent defending. Top notch. Bayern would surely be leading now had the Real right-back not stuck tight to his man there.
67 min: From a corner on the left, Marcelo is shaping to shoot when another ball appears on the pitch. Not sure who threw that on, but it’s put a stop to Real’s attack. Is Diego Simeone in the house? Bayern batter the dropped-ball restart miles upfield, much to the annoyance of the home support.
65 min: Lucas Vazquez is booked for blocking an in-flight Alaba.
64 min: This is no more than Bayern deserve on the balance of play. Their response to conceding 21 seconds after the restart, and in such ridiculous circumstances, has been magnificent. One more goal, and they’ll be in Kiev! Those Ronaldo misses look a bit more important, all of a sudden.
GOAL! Real Madrid 2-2 Bayern Munich (Rodriguez 63; agg 4-3)
Bayern are back in this! Sule makes good down the right. He fires into the centre. James smacks a shot low and hard, towards the bottom right. Navas parries, but James is first to the rebound, and slams it home from a tight angle. It’s back on!
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62 min: Modric is booked for a late clip on Tolisso’s ankles.
60 min: Bayern, having recovered from the shock of that farcical goal, are giving this their best shot. It’s now or never. Thiago and Lewandowski take turns to shoot from the edge of the Real box, the hosts pressed back and momentarily unable to escape. But somehow Real hold firm under pinball pressure.
58 min: Alaba bursts down the left yet again; he has been magnificent tonight. He earns a corner off Modric. Muller flicks the set piece on at the near post, but neither Tolisso nor Lewandowski are able to force the ball home amid a melee. Muller gets involved himself, but eventually Real clear.
57 min: ... nothing much occurs.
56 min: Bayern aren’t giving up, though. James curls a cross into the Real box from the left. Varane slices hysterically behind for a corner. From which ...
54 min: Modric tries to curl one into the bottom left from a position out on the right. He’s inches wide. Then Real come again. First Ronaldo is a toenail away from sticking a telescopic leg on a right-wing Asensio cross, then he misses an even bigger sitter, Kovacic curling in from the left, CR7 blasting 200FTUP from 6YDS. Real so close to putting this tie to bed.
52 min: Lewandowski is barged in the back by Ramos as the pair contest a high ball in the Real area. The referee decides the touch Ramos got on the ball was enough to save Real, but it was a heavy challenge, and you’ve seen penalty kicks given for less. It’s a corner, though, from which Lewandowski can’t get any power on a goalwards header.
51 min: Alaba cuts in from the left and unleashes a pearler. It takes a deflection off Varane, and looks to be heading into the left-hand portion of the net, but Navas somehow reads the deflection and turns the ball away for a corner. That one comes to nothing, but what a save!
49 min: Benzema bursts down the left and falls over in the box. He’s on a hat-trick, but doesn’t bother to claim for a penalty.
47 min: That was Sunday league stuff. I have no idea what Ulreich was attempting there. That’s a moment that will haunt him for a long time unless Bayern can score twice in the next 43 minutes plus stoppages. We can’t have extra time now.
WHAT A FARCE! Real Madrid 2-1 Bayern Munich (Benzema 46; agg 4-2)
This is a complete nonsense! Tolisso, deep in the right-back position, turns and plays a blind pass towards his keeper. Benzema is lurking, though. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Ulreich has a brain freeze, thinking about handling, then sliding and fresh-air kicking. He lets the ball sail straight through him! Benzema rounds the stricken keeper and rolls into the empty net!
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And we’re off again! No changes. Bayern get the party restarted.
Half-time reading: Nervous, Liverpool fans? This probably won’t help.
HALF TIME: Real Madrid 1-1 Bayern Munich (agg: 3-2)
And that’s the end of an exhilarating half of football. This semi-final is still very much in the balance. One more Bayern goal, and we’ll be heading to extra time. But as things stand, it’s Real who are going through to the final in Kiev on May 26.
45 min +1: Kimmich crosses from the right. Marcelo jumps to block. The ball hits his hand, but there was no intent, though Bayern think otherwise. Lewandowski forces a corner, which comes to nothing.
45 min: Tolisso gets a little bit more time and space, just outside the Real area. He sends a short-backlift curler inches wide of the top-right corner. For a second, that appeared to be flying into the net. Navas was concerned, that’s for sure, scampering across. Not sure he’d have got there had it been on target.
44 min: Alaba causes more bother down the left. He’s bundled over by Lucas Vasquez, and wants a free kick in a very dangerous position, but he’s not going to get it. A strange decision.
42 min: A pocket of space for the wily Tolisso in the middle of the Real half. He instantly rolls a pass down the right, in the hope of releasing Muller into the area. Just a bit too much on it. Real were wide open there.
40 min: Muller and Lewandowski very nearly one-two their way into the Real box, with some crisp and inventive passing down the middle. Not quite. Here, is that the time already? Where did it all go? The clock is whirring round even more quickly than everyone’s legs.
39 min: Ronaldo has done very little tonight ... so now he nearly scores. Of course he does. He dribbles in from the right and curls an effort towards the bottom right. Ulreich does very well to turn it around the post. From the corner, hit long, Ramos clanks a header into the side netting. This is relentless entertainment.
37 min: Possession is at a premium right now. You could say it’s gone a bit scrappy, but brilliant flicks are so nearly coming off, while the pressing is relentless and impressive.
35 min: Space for Vazquez down the Real right. He curls inside, looking for the head of Ronaldo. Hummels gets in the way to blast a header clear. This is magnificent end-to-end fun.
33 min: Bayern come so close to the second away goal they need! Lewandowski is sent scampering into the area down the left by Hummels. His shot from a tight angle balloons to the far post. Muller wins a header, the ball dropping to James, who must surely score, but leans back and sends a wild one miles over the bar from close range. Wow. Someone’s going to score another goal tonight, surely. But good luck predicting who’s next.
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32 min: Ribery dribbles down the left, fast and fancy. He thinks about curling one into the bottom right as he enters the area, but lays off to Muller instead, who spins and tries to thread one into the same corner. Navas is wise to his game.
31 min: Benzema and Modric combine down the inside-right channel again. Modric then very nearly threads a pass through for Ronaldo, but Sule intercepts. That was close. Real are beginning to launch attacks with more regularity.
29 min: Ronaldo drops a little deep before slipping a pass down the left to spring Marcelo into the box. Marcelo is one on one with Ulreich, but decides to pull one back instead of shooting. That allows Sule to hack out for a corner. A fine attack, and fine defending. The corner’s taken, this time causing Bayern some in-air panic, but eventually the trouble is cleared.
27 min: Varane and Ramos overplay at the back, as Real opt to make Bayern chase. As Muller and Lewandowski close in on Varane, the Bernabeu groans in dismay. It’s OK, but the anxiety of the home support was clear then. Real are in the box seat, but this is far from over.
25 min: The first lull of the evening. It’s been value for money so far, to be fair.
23 min: Ronaldo has done very little so far. He cuts in from the right and shanks a dreadful effort high into the top-left corner of the stand behind the goal. Consider it a range-finder.
22 min: James draws three white shirts and slips a pass down the left for Alaba, who is in acres. Alaba’s deep cross causes all sorts of mayhem, and Real are forced to hack out for a corner under intense pressure from Lewandowski. The set piece causes Real some more aerial consternation but Navas eventually plucks the ball from the sky.
20 min: Ribery slips a clever pass down the inside left to find Muller in the Real area. Muller spins and fires a low cross through a busy box. Nobody in red can get anywhere near it. But this has been a very impressive attacking performance from Bayern so far. Real don’t look comfortable at all.
19 min: Bayern are first to most of the loose balls right now. Tolisso has a crack from distance but his effort is blocked at source.
17 min: Tolisso slips a delightful ball down the middle to find Lewandowski in space on the edge of the Real box. The striker turns and stumbles under pressure from Varane. He claims a penalty but it’s a good challenge.
16 min: Modric and Benzema back-heel and flick their way down the inside-right channel. It’s very pretty. And it very nearly opens Bayern up, but the flag goes up as Benzema bursts clear into the box.
14 min: Bayern earn a corner down the left. It doesn’t come to much. But it also doesn’t feel like this game will end 1-1. Neither defence is looking particularly happy with life at present.
13 min: Conceding doesn’t make a huge difference to Bayern; they still needed another goal anyway. So they still have their tails up. Lewandowski and Muller take turns with the ball at their feet in the Real area, but neither can work space or time for a shot.
GOAL! Real Madrid 1-1 Bayern Munich (Benzema 11; agg 3-2)
Real under Zidane always find a way, so they say. And after a dreadful start, they suddenly spring to life. This was so simple, too, as Kovacic sends Marcelo jinking down the left; Marcelo whips long and finds Benzema, unmarked at the far post. Benzema heads into the top right, a chance he was never passing up. What a start to this game!
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10 min: Real pass it around the middle for a while, in order to clear their heads a bit. A smart move. It’s their first period of sustained possession.
8 min: Alaba and Ribery take turns to nearly dribble clear down the left. Real look very nervous at the back. No wonder after that start, the Juve game, etc.
7 min: Modric is stopped in his tracks, 40 yards from the Bayern goal, a little to the right. A free kick, and one that’s taken cleverly, sending Kroos romping into space down the inside-right channel when everyone was expecting the ball to be swung into the mixer. Kroos whips a low centre towards Benzema, who hits a first-time shot wide right of goal from close range. A decent response by the reigning champs.
5 min: Well that’s quietened the Bernabeu, which took a collective swallow of air when that goal went in. Bayern are now just one goal away from the final, though as things stand they’re going out on the away-goals rule.
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GOAL! Real Madrid 0-1 Bayern Munich (Kimmich 3; agg 2-2)
We’ve not been going long, but this had been coming. Muller crosses from the right. Ramos and Varane look at each other instead of clearing. The ball clanks off Ramos, and drops to Kimmich, who is on the right-hand edge of the six-yard box. Kimmich opens his body and confidently strokes the ball into the bottom left. What a start by the visitors!
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2 min: James curls the free kick into the mixer. Navas punches clear. But Bayern are quickly coming back at Real, Alaba again making ground down the left, reaching the byline. He’s got Lewandowski on the penalty spot, but elects to batter the ball straight at Navas instead of cutting it back. The keeper gathers.
And we’re off! Real get the ball rolling. Ramos immediately launches it long, conceding possession. Bayern take the opportunity to stroke it around the back a bit. Then Alaba bursts down the left and is upended by Lucas Vazquez. An early chance to load the Real box.
The teams are out! Real are in their world-famous meringue-white clobber, while Bayern sport their equally storied red. A magical atmosphere at the Bernabeu, as you’d expect ahead of a Champions League semi-final between clubs with 17 European Cups between them. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes, once hands have been shaken, pennants exchanged, coins tossed, and Zadok the Priest defiled.
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The attitude of the managers in yesterday’s press conference reflected Real’s advantageous position. Jupp Heynckes was bullish: “We know what the atmosphere is like in the Bernabeu, but I’ve got a lot of international players with a lot of experience. We have come to Madrid to take our chances seriously.” Zinedine Zidane by contrast was a picture of tranquility: “We don’t need to change much.” A reminder of how this tie is poised: Real lead 2-1, so the bottom line for Bayern is that they need to score a couple of away goals of their own. If they find the net early on, this could be highly entertaining, given the way the Real-Juve game panned out.
Pre-match observations from the Guardian’s electronic mailbag. “I don’t think Real will be bullied by Bayern’s front men like they were by Juve,” writes John McEnerney. “One reason: the Bayern strikers don’t have a nasty one in their ranks like Mandžukić, and the gatekeeper to Real’s fortress, Ramos, is back to marshal the back four and rally the troops.”
“Expect Bayern to be aggressive from the start,” counters krishnamoorthy. “Sitting back won’t help. Predicting a 1-2 scoreline and the winner from Lewadowski.” Extra time and penalty kicks it is, then. I do hope these lads haven’t used up all their energy already.
While we wait for the big kick-off ... here’s our man in Madrid, Sid Lowe, with his preview of the match.
The teams
Real Madrid: Navas, Lucas, Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Asensio, Kovacic, Modric, Kroos, Benzema, Ronaldo.
Subs: Casilla, Nacho, Bale, Casemiro, Hernandez, Borja Mayoral, Ceballos.
Bayern Munich: Ulreich, Kimmich, Hummels, Sule, Alaba, Tolisso, Thiago, Muller, Rodriguez, Ribery, Lewandowski.
Subs: Starke, Wagner, Javi Martinez, Rafinha, Lukas, Rudy, Dorsch.
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey).
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Real Madrid make three changes to the side named in Germany last week. Dani Carvajal and Isco are injured, while Casemiro drops to the bench. Stepping up: Karim Benzema, Marco Asensio and Mateo Kovačić.
Bayern Munich make four changes to their team from last week’s starting XI. Arjen Robben and Jérôme Boateng are injured, while Javi Martínez and Rafinha drop to the bench. Thiago Alcántara, Niklas Süle, Corentin Tolisso and David Alaba take their places.
Preamble
Real Madrid are so close to their third consecutive appearance in the Champions League final. The reigning European champs are 2-1 up after the first leg of this semi-final tie, having seen off an uncharacteristically sloppy Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena last week. They’re 90 minutes away from the showpiece in Kiev, and 180 away from becoming the first team to complete a European Cup hat-trick since ... Bayern Munich in 1976.
They will be confident enough of making it. That’ll be because they’ve won their last six matches against Bayern, while only two teams in Champions League history have overhauled a first-leg home defeat in the knockout stage: Ajax against Panathinaikos in the 1995/96 semis, and Internazionale against Bayern in the 2010/11 round of 16. History, recent and otherwise, is on their side.
But Bayern will still believe they can reach their first final since 2013. After all, Juventus so nearly overhauled a three-goal deficit against Real at the Bernabeu in the quarters. And the Germans usually give Real a good game: they’ve won 11 to Madrid’s 12 over the years, scoring 37 goals to their opponents’ 39. They’ve won four of the six European Cup / Champions League semi-final ties between these clubs. And that losing streak has to end sometime, so why not tonight?
Whatever happens, another chapter of the most storied rivalry in Europe will soon be written. It’s the 26th fixture between these two clubs, a record in Uefa competition. It’s the semi-final of the Champions League. It’s on!
Kick off: 7.45pm BST, 8.45pm at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid.
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