Real Madrid lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich in a thrilling first leg of their blockbuster Champions League quarter-final clash.
This had been billed as a must-watch tie and it certainly proved the case on a frenetic, end-to-end night at the Bernabeu.
Luis Diaz netted the opener with an accomplished finish shortly before half-time with Harry Kane - on his return from picking up a knock on international duty with England last month - doubling the visitors’ advantage just 20 seconds after the restart.
But Real Madrid showed their class on the counter and offered more evidence of how destructive they can be in full flow. Kylian Mbappe, the competition’s top goalscorer, halved their advantage with a close-range strike past keeper Manuel Neuer in the 74th minute - teed up by Trent Alexander-Arnold, desperate to prove himself with England manager Thomas Tuchel watching on.
Both Mbappe and Vinicius Junior were denied several times by Neuer, who made nine saves, and Bayern failed to make their control of the game count as Dayot Upamecano, Serge Gnabry and Jamal Musiala all missed chances.
It means the German giants will start next week’s second leg with only a one-goal lead, with the tie very much in the balance.
Follow all the action from the Champions League quarter-final with our live blog below:
Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich live
- Bayern Munich win thrilling first leg of Champions League quarter-final vs Real Madrid
- '74 GOAL! Mbappe pulls one back to keep Real in this tie [RMA 1-2 BAY]
- 46' GOAL! Kane doubles Bayern's advantage 20 seconds after restart [RMA 0-2 BAY]
- 41' GOAL! Diaz nets opener with accomplished finish [RMA 0-1 BAY]
- 27' MISS! Gnabry misses sitter after Thiago mistake [RMA 0-0 BAY]
- 9' OFF THE LINE! Upamecano misses from point-blank range [RMA 0-0 BAY]
Why Thomas Tuchel must ignore Trent Alexander-Arnold’s flaws and take him to World Cup
10:07 , Chris WilsonComment: Alexander-Arnold struggled defensively against Luis Diaz but the quality of his delivery cannot be ignored after he and Jude Bellingham led Real Madrid’s second-half resurgence
Why Tuchel must ignore Alexander-Arnold’s flaws and take him to World Cup
Premier League clinches fifth Champions League spot for 2026/27 season
06:00 , Will CastleThe Premier League could boast seven clubs in next season’s Champions League if all the right pieces fall into place – but now we know five will be guaranteed.
The extra place was sealed after Arsenal emerged 1-0 victors at Sporting in their quarter-final first leg, with Kai Havertz snatching a late winner in Lisbon.
It is the second consecutive year that the Premier League has earned an additional spot, with the English top flight at the pinnacle of the European Performance Standings.
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Premier League clinches fifth Champions League spot for 2026/27 season
Arsenal do no more than is required to eke past Sporting and one question remains
05:00 , Miguel DelaneyElsewhere tonight, Kai Havertz scored a late winner for Arsenal against Sporting as they bounced back from back-to-back domestic cup defeats to get their European campaign back on track.
Miguel Delaney reports from Lisbon:
Arsenal do no more than is required to eke past Sporting and one question remains
Kompany on Neuer: 'He makes it look so easy'
04:00 , Flo CliffordKompany continues to heap praise on Neuer, who impressed once again tonight. “He makes it look so easy. With great goalkeepers, they make incredible saves at incredible angles look so easy. He is still very good with his positioning, defending the back line.
“We won't win the competition without more of these kind of performances.”
Vincent Kompany: 'We have earned the right to be confident'
03:00 , Flo CliffordKompany continues: “It's important to continue our momentum [in the second leg]. They will give us a tough game, they are the type of team that can do something special, but so can we.
“We have earned the right to be confident and be demanding in those games. But it's football, you never know.
“I'm not centre stage, it's the players. So I just try to give them a little word when I can, something I might have done when i was playing. But it's a players’ game.”
Vincent Kompany: 'You have to be up for the battle'
02:00 , Flo CliffordBayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany says: “This stadium [atmosphere] changes in the last 15 minutes, you have to be up for the battle. We can create the same experience at the Allianz Arena. We are looking forward to it.
“We had some chances we should have put to bed. Hopefully we will score at the Allianz, I see no reason we can't go on to win, but Real Madrid has incredible talent.
“The team has earned the right to be themselves, they have won so much and performed so well, so my first changes [substitutions] were like-for-like. But towards the end I did shut up shop.”
Harry Kane the star man
01:00 , Flo CliffordHarry Kane has scored or assisted in four straight Champions League appearances against Real Madrid, with two goals and two assists.
That is the joint-longest run by any player against Real in the competition: Giovane Elber also went on a four-game run of involvements in 2002 and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang did so in 2017.
Stat attack
Tuesday 7 April 2026 23:45 , Flo Clifford20 shots for either side, nine on target for Real, eight on target for Bayern.
The hosts had 37 touches in the opposition box, Bayern 45.
A cracker of a game.
Real Madrid flattered by scoreline as Bayern Munich lay down Champions League gauntlet
Tuesday 7 April 2026 23:24 , Chris Wilson at the BernabeuA Harry Kane goal just 20 seconds into the second half earned Bayern Munich a 2-1 win in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie with Real Madrid, as the German side laid down the gauntlet for their European rivals.
Bayern travelled to the Spanish capital among the favourites to win the competition after the 10-2 aggregate demolition of Atalanta in the round of 16, and while they only take a slender one-goal lead back to Bavaria ahead of next week’s second leg, they could well have won by three or four after a frantic 90 minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid flattered by scoreline as Munich lay down Champions League gauntlet
Alvaro Arbeloa: 'Neuer was MVP'
Tuesday 7 April 2026 23:00 , Flo CliffordReal Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa tells TNT Sports: “I think [Manuel] Neuer was MVP. We had so many chances to score more goals but we didn't do it. But we're still alive and we hope we can win in Germany.”
(Neuer has in fact been named man of the match.)
What do Real change for the second leg? “We lose two balls and they score two goals. So we can't lose these types of balls because their players are so fast and so quick and have so much quality.”
Harry Kane on 'hype'
Tuesday 7 April 2026 22:35 , Flo CliffordHarry Kane continues: “All the hype around [this game], coming to Madrid and trying to get a result its always a difficult thing to do. We had some good chances, credit to them they did too. We can be really happy with the win and take it into next week.
“We've enjoyed some really good moments together. We're in the business end of the season now. The more you play and train together the feelings get even stronger. We always feel dangerous we always feel like we can score goals for sure.
“We're in a good position, we have to stay focused. Now it's just about recovering and the time will come next week to try and do the same again.”
Harry Kane back to fitness
Tuesday 7 April 2026 22:24 , Flo CliffordSignificantly, Kane played all 90 minutes tonight, having been a doubt to feature at all after picking up a knock on international duty. Back to fitness and clearly not rusty after 16 days without playing a minute.
Harry Kane: 'It's a one-goal lead and that can change quickly'
Tuesday 7 April 2026 22:19 , Flo CliffordHere’s what Harry Kane had to say to TNT Sports: “I thought we played some really good stuff today. There were areas where we could have done even better; maybe the final ball. We had some good chances but credit to them, so did they – Manuel [Neuer] made some important saves. Overall we’re happy with the win.”
He’s asked what he was doing staring into the away section after the full-time whistle, and explains it’s where the players’ families were sitting. “I was trying to find my wife and family but I couldn’t quite pick them out. They were in there somewhere.
“We’re in a good position but as always, it’s a one-goal lead and that can change quickly. We’ll try to perform as we did today.”
Bayern Munich win at the Bernabeu
Tuesday 7 April 2026 22:12 , Flo CliffordThat was Harry Kane's 49th goal of the season and 11th in the Champions League - and his first outside the box in Europe.
Bayern Munich win at the Bernabeu
Tuesday 7 April 2026 22:09 , Flo CliffordWhat had been billed as a must-watch clash certainly proved to be so. Luis Diaz and Harry Kane - the latter on his return from a knock on international duty - sealed the win but Kylian Mbappe’s late strike made this a full-on contest. Ultimately Bayern withstood a late storm - helped by some fine saves by Manuel Neuer - for their first win at the Bernabeu in 25 years.
Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:55 , Chris Wilson at the BernbeuThe verdict from our man on the ground: “In the end a brilliant game for the neutral as Bayern secure a slender first-leg lead to take back to the Allianz. They probably should have won by a wider margin and you wonder if they might regret that next week, but overall it’s the kind of performance that marks a side out as one of the favourites in the Champions League.”
FULL TIME: Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:55 , Flo Clifford‘90+4: Two defeats in a row for Real Madrid, and Bayern take a one-goal lead back to Bavaria!
An enthralling game, but the tie is by no means over: both sides should have had more, and Bayern certainly should have a significantly bigger cushion. How consequential will those missed chances be next week?
Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:53 , Flo Clifford90+4: Olise thinks he was fouled by Carreras in the box but Michael Oliver disagrees.
Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:52 , Flo Clifford‘90+2: Bayern have been pretty wasteful. Another loose pass by Diaz and they might rue that too...
Luis Diaz and Pavlovic go off, Goretzka and Bischof come on.
Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:51 , Flo Clifford‘90+1: Bayern will be kicking themselves. The corner is cleared and Diaz gets away, but his attempted pass to Olise in the box is all wrong and the ball rolls harmlessly away!
Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:50 , Chris Wilson at the BernabeuIt looks like they’ll leave the Bernabeu with a slender lead to take into the second leg, but Bayern will be kicking themselves that it’s not a two or three-goal lead at the moment.
Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:49 , Flo Clifford‘90: FOUR minutes added on. Real have a corner. Anyone’s guess what happens now.
CLOSE! Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:49 , Flo Clifford‘90: Real counter again: Mbappe is shielded from Neuer, rooted to the spot, by a Bayern defender, but flashes wide!
Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:48 , Flo Clifford‘89: Bayern should have a third! Davies is unmarked at the far post but chips it back to Musiala, who sends an effort bobbling wide.
Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:45 , Flo Clifford‘87: Musiala has room to strike but it takes a deflection on its way into Lunin’s gloves.
This game is frenetic. Now Neuer comes about a mile out of his area to spare Davies’ blushes as he chests it down past his keeper - and sends it away!
Musiala gets a yellow for a sliding challenge on Brahim Diaz.
SAVE! Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:43 , Flo Clifford‘83: The corner is headed away by Pavlovic, who hits his head on the way back down. Real win it back, and Neuer does well to leap into the air to save Eder Militao’s header.
There’s plenty of whistling as Neuer takes his time with the restart, with Pavlovic still down on the ground.
SAVE! Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:42 , Flo Clifford‘83: Neuer has been worth his weight in gold. Bayern make a mistake and Mbappe dances away; he passes to Vini Jr in the box, but the German denies him again!
Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:40 , Flo Clifford‘82: Neuer gets a yellow for delaying the restart.
Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:40 , Flo Clifford‘81: Bellingham is majestic in the middle of the park. He powers down the pitch and releases Vini Jr down the left, who jinks into the area but is brought down after playing the pass. He wails for a penalty but Oliver is unimpressed.
SAVE! Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:39 , Flo Clifford‘80: Neuer is called into action again as Brahim Diaz blasts an attempt goalward - but it’s simple enough for the German keeper.
Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:37 , Flo Clifford‘78: Diaz gets a yellow for fouling Vini Jr and Real have a free-kick. The Bernbeu is pumping. Kane flicks the delivery behind for a corner... Tah heads away the next corner.
On Mbappe’s goal: he finally beat Neuer, but the keeper did well to get a hand to it, pushing onto the underside of the crossbar but powerless to keep it from going out.
Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:36 , Chris Wilson at the BernabeuA superb equaliser from the hosts, and what a cross from Alexander-Arnold, who puts it on a plate for Mbappe. Game on at the Bernabeu, and suddenly the home fans believe again.
GOAL! Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:34 , Flo Clifford‘74: Real pull one back!
It’s a terrific delivery from Alexander-Arnold, who makes a great run on the counter, links up with Bellingham, and curls a great ball to Mbappe at the far post. Mbappe pokes it past Neuer at a tight angle and the hosts are back in it!
Real Madrid 0-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:30 , Flo Clifford‘72: Tah gets a yellow for a poor challenge on the back of Mbappe’s ankle. The Frenchman has only just come back from injury and remains on the ground for a while, but seems fine to continue.
Brahim Diaz comes on for Guler.
WIDE! Real Madrid 0-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:28 , Flo Clifford‘68: Real are by no means out of it. Mbappe is released by Vini Jr but lashes an angled strike just wide of a diving Neuer.
Changes for Bayern now: Davies and Musiala are on, Gnabry and Laimer off. The rather error-prone Upamecano remains on.
OVER THE BAR! Real Madrid 0-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:26 , Flo Clifford‘67: Olise dances in again and curls an attempt towards the top corner... just over the bar.
Now Kimmich has another corner, it isn’t cleared quickly enough but Alexander-Arnold eventually blocks Diaz’s shot.
Real now have a couple of chances! Neuer tips a superb Mbappe attempt round the post and Eder Militao leaps for the resulting corner but heads over too.
Real Madrid 0-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:24 , Chris Wilson at the BernabeuAnother sitter missed in a fascinating first leg! Upamecano is perhaps more of an error-prone starting centre-back than Kompany would like, and it showed again there as he almost let Vini Jr in to drag a goal back.
In the end it’s a poor finish from Vinicius, and the home crowd certainly let their feelings be known after it.
Real Madrid 0-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:24 , Flo Clifford‘64: Fascinating to see the reaction of the home fans to that Vini Jr miss. Carreras was booed shortly before for letting the ball get away from him, having had a torrid time of things, but the volume was considerably higher for Vini Jr’s terrible waste of a shot.
Real Madrid 0-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:22 , Flo Clifford‘63: Arbeloa has seen enough. Thiago Pitarch and Huijsen are hooked for Eder Militao and Bellingham.
WHAT A MISS! Real Madrid 0-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:21 , Flo Clifford‘61: Upamecano makes a terrible mistake as he chests a long ball down awkwardly attempting a backpass to his keeper and Vini Jr picks his pocket; Neuer is in no-man’s land but Vini Jr drifts wide and lashes the side netting! A huge mistake!
The crowd jeer that at absolute full volume.
Real Madrid 0-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:20 , Flo Clifford‘60: The TNT Sports commentators are critical of Alvaro Arbeloa’s team selection and refusal to make changes. Real Madrid are going out “feebly” at this rate, is the verdict.
There’s a bit of pushing and shoving as Guler knocks over Olise and gets a telling off from some Bayern players.
Real Madrid 0-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:18 , Chris Wilson at the BernabeuBayern are looking to put this tie beyond Madrid by the end of the first leg! Olise beats Carreras far too easily and it’s a great run, but his effort is just a little too tame to trouble Lunin.
Moments later, Kane almost benefits from that slip-up by Valverde, but in the end Rudiger closed it down well.
CLOSE@ Real Madrid 0-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:17 , Flo Clifford‘57: Real give it away again! Valverde gets caught out and Kane rounds him, but the Uruguayan gets back in front of the striker and Kane’s strike deflects off his leg.
Upamecano’s header from the resulting corner is narrowly wide!
SAVE! Real Madrid 0-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:16 , Flo Clifford‘56: Olise is toying with Carreras and skips past him again now, jinking past another four defenders before skimming a low shot goalward. Lunin jumps down to save and briefly spills it, but clings on.
Real Madrid 0-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:14 , Flo Clifford‘54: Vini Jr shoots high and wide from some way out.
Real Madrid 0-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:11 , Flo Clifford‘52: Real try to get back into this as Tchouameni has a long-range attempt deflected behind, but Guler’s corner delivery is terrible.
Real Madrid 0-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:10 , Flo Clifford‘50: Bayern continue to threaten; Olise darts into the area and Lunin palms his shot around the near post.
Valverde nearly has a look-in at the other end but Upamecano clears the danger.
Real Madrid 0-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:08 , Chris Wilson at the BernabeuHe doesn’t miss those. The Bernabeu held its breath as they saw the ball rolling towards Kane in space there, and he cushioned a brilliant finish past Lunin. No chance for the ’keeper there.
Real Madrid 0-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:07 , Chris Wilson at the BernabeuBayern have a second courtesy of Harry Kane! It’s a superb finish from the England man, who latches onto a lay-off from Olise and side-foots a great finish past a sprawling Lunin from just within the ‘D’.
GOAL! Real Madrid 0-2 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:06 , Flo Clifford‘46: A disastrous, disastrous start for Real Madrid!
Plenty of people will still be taking their seats but the hosts are already another goal down. Carreras tries to stick his leg in between Pavlovic’s feet as he skates away with the ball on the halfway line and is left in a heap. Bayern float away, Olise squares to Kane in the centre of the box, and the Englishman makes no mistake.
SECOND HALF: Real Madrid 0-1 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:04 , Flo CliffordNo changes for either side at the break. Away we go with the second half!
HALF-TIME: Real Madrid 0-1 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 21:02 , Chris WilsonThe players are coming back out onto the pitch at the Bernabeu, so we should be underway soon in what promises to be an enthralling second half!
HALF-TIME: Real Madrid 0-1 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:59 , Chris Wilson at the BernabeuIt’s been a frantic first half and a very entertaining game for the neutral so far, and after an end-to-end 45 minutes it’s Bayern who find themselves with a narrow lead.
There have been plenty of chances at both ends but it’s a deserved lead for the visitors, who dominated the ball for much of the opening 45 minutes.
While both sides had chances in a frenetic first half, Bayern had the more clear-cut openings and they could well be 3-0 up if not for Jonathan Tah and Serge Gnabry missing sitters.
Nevertheless, Madrid have shown why they’re such a danger on the counter, with Mbappe and Vini Jr both threatening and each of the duo going close.
It’s all to play for in the second half at the Bernabeu!
HALF-TIME: Real Madrid 0-1 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:53 , Chris Wilson
HALF-TIME: Real Madrid 0-1 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:48 , Flo Clifford‘45+1: Vini Jr goes down very softly once again under pressure from Upamecano and wants a penalty. Referee Michael Oliver says no chance, mate.
Half-time!
Real Madrid 0-1 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:46 , Flo Clifford‘45: Stanisic is penalised for a foul on Vini Jr and Alexander-Arnold stands over the free-kick, on the left side of the 18-yard box. It’s headed away by none other than Harry Kane!
One minute added on to this half.
Real Madrid 0-1 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:45 , Chris Wilson at the BernabeuIt did feel like the opener might come from a sloppy bit of play, though Bayern take the lead courtesy of a lovely run and finish from Luis Diaz. On balance, it’s probably a lead that the Bavarians deserve.
GOAL! Real Madrid 0-1 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:42 , Flo Clifford‘41: Luis Diaz gets the opener!
Kane passes to Gnabry, who floats a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Luis Diaz - who fires in his fourth goal in six games, a low strike into the far bottom corner!
Real Madrid 0-0 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:38 , Flo Clifford‘37: Tchouameni pulls back Olise and is booked, and that means he will miss the second leg of this quarter-final.
Free-kick incoming, on the right side... Kimmich’s delivery is comfortably headed away.
Real Madrid 0-0 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:35 , Flo Clifford‘35: Vini Jr goes for goal... it’s not good enough and Neuer falls on it gratefully.
Real Madrid 0-0 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:34 , Flo Clifford‘34: Guler makes a good run down the left channel but Pavlovic gets an acrobatic kick to clear the danger.
Real Madrid 0-0 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:31 , Chris Wilson at the BernabeuWhat on Earth is Thiago thinking there? It wasn’t a great pass from Lunin but surely he could see Gnabry?
The hosts get away with one in the end as Lunin makes a great save (even if he knew very little about it).
The hosts have had all 11 men behind the ball on a few occasions but they seem happy to sit back and try their luck on the counter.
Real Madrid 0-0 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:30 , Flo Clifford‘29: Now Real counter! Neuer makes a fingertip save but palms the ball back into the box and is lucky no-one is there to get on the end of it. Mbappe gets the better of Laimer and the ball is deflected behind for a corner...
Real Madrid 0-0 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:29 , Flo Clifford‘27: Alexander-Arnold gives the ball away cheaply but luckily for him Bayern make a hash of it.
Lunin bizarrely keeps playing out from the back, Pitarch attempts a terrible pass back to his keeper and Gnabry pounces - but somehow can’t get it in the net?!
You get the sense Bayern might rue these missed opportunities.
Real Madrid 0-0 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:27 , Flo Clifford‘26: Real are weathering the storm but showing flashes of their brilliance on the counter. Neuer is called into action from under the crossbar to save a deflected Vini Jr cross; now Alexander-Arnold tries a chip goalward but is blocked.
Real Madrid 0-0 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:25 , Flo Clifford‘24: Bayern have plenty of players in the Real box but somehow can’t make it count.
Now Olise jinks past Carreras with ease and attempts the same with Guler, who gives away the corner.
Lunin gratefully collects the delivery.
Real Madrid 0-0 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:22 , Flo Clifford‘21: This has been a breathless first 20 minutes. Olise is the latest Bayern player to send in an inviting ball but Rudiger leaps and heads away.
Laimer tries to round Alexander-Arnold at the byline but comes unstuck.
Real Madrid 0-0 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:21 , Chris Wilson at the BernabeuTwo chances in as many minutes for the hosts, who are really starting to threaten now. Neuer was always going to make the first save from Mbappe’s close-range effort, but he had a little more to do as he got across well to make the second stop.
SAVE! Real Madrid 0-0 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:19 , Flo Clifford‘18: End to end. It’s very scrappy in the Madrid penalty area - but now Mbappe breaks!
He squares to Vini Jr, running alongside him, and he cuts inside and fires a low strike sharply across goal - but Neuer palms it away with his left hand!
SAVE! Real Madrid 0-0 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:17 , Flo Clifford‘17: Mbappe makes a meal of a challenge by Laimer and wins a free-kick out on the right. Alexander-Arnold stands over it... it’s a good delivery. Huijsen comes closest to reaching it, it comes out and back into the box but Neuer eventually collects Mbappe’s next attempt.
Now Alexander-Arnold lays it off to Guler, he releases Mbappe on the left side of the six-yard box but Neuer makes himself huge to block the Frenchman again!
Real Madrid 0-0 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:15 , Flo Clifford‘13: Real get out of their own half for the first time in a while. Huijsen makes a great run, charging through the centre, but is closed down by Diaz at the back line - the Colombian cleverly sticks his legs out straight in front of him, not attempting to tackle Huijsen at all, but ensures he runs out of room.
Real Madrid 0-0 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:12 , Chris Wilson at the BernabeuWhat a chance that was! You’d be forgiven for wondering why Kane didn’t try and hit it but it was a superb lay-off in the end, though Upamecano completely scuffed in when it mattered most. A horrible miss in the end, and how costly could it prove?
SAVE! Real Madrid 0-0 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:11 , Flo Clifford‘9: It should be 1-0 Bayern!
Kimmich has another set-piece as Bayern win a free-kick in the hosts’ half. It’s worked in to Kane, who takes a touch in the box and lays it off for Upamecano, who is inches from an open goal but fluffs his lines and allows Carreras to scuttle back and clear it off the line.
SAVE! Real Madrid 0-0 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:09 , Flo Clifford‘8: Bayern have another corner and Kimmich’s delivery is tipped over the bar by Lunin, for yet another set-piece....
Lunin is caught off guard yet again and the ball bounces around very dangerously; Gnabry goes for a spectacular bicycle kick but it’s eventually dealt with.
OVER THE BAR! Real Madrid 0-0 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:08 , Flo Clifford‘8: Olise aims over the wall and Tchouameni gets his head to it, glancing a defensive header over the bar! Excellent defending.
Now Lunin needs his defenders to spare his blushes; he’s nowhere near the resulting Harry Kane corner delivery and a white shirt heads it behind.
Real Madrid 0-0 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:07 , Flo Clifford‘5: Olise looks dangerous on the edge of the area and Huijsen leaves his boot on him, a very silly challenge with Thiago bearing down on him too.
Free-kick in a central-right position, just outside the box...
Real Madrid 0-0 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:04 , Flo Clifford‘3: Stanisic intercepts the ball from Alexander-Arnold but Vini Jr wins it back and tries to jink in from the left... and runs into a roadblock.
OVER THE BAR! Real Madrid 0-0 Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:02 , Flo Clifford‘1: One minute in and Bayern are already looking to apply some pressure. It’s sloppy in defence from Real as the ball falls to Laimer on the edge of the box - but the defender opens his body up too much and fires over the bar.
KICK-OFF: Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 20:01 , Flo CliffordThe roof is closed against a thundering downpour but the volume is already through the roof.
Here we go!
Minutes to go
Tuesday 7 April 2026 19:58 , Flo CliffordThe sides walk out into a brilliant atmosphere - as ever - at the Bernabeu, to the sounds of the Champions League anthem. Only a couple of minutes to go...
Neuer makes history
Tuesday 7 April 2026 19:55 , Flo CliffordBayern stalwart Manuel Neuer makes history tonight on his 136th Champions League start for the club, equalling Lionel Messi’s record for Barcelona.
Only Iker Casillas has made more starts for one club in the competition: 149 for tonight’s opposition, Real Madrid.
Thomas Tuchel in the house
Tuesday 7 April 2026 19:53 , Flo CliffordA familiar face is in the stands: England manager Thomas Tuchel, keeping an eye on Jude Bellingham - who is on the bench - and the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who seems a long way down the German’s pecking order for the World Cup squad and could do with an impressive showing tonight.
Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich live
Tuesday 7 April 2026 19:50 , Chris Wilson
Team news reminder
Tuesday 7 April 2026 19:45 , Flo CliffordReal Madrid XI: Lunin; Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Carreras, Valverde, Thiago, Tchouameni, Guler, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr.
Bayern Munich XI: Neuer, Stanisic, Upamecano, Tah, Laimer, Pavlovic, Kimmich, Olise, Gnabry, Diaz, Kane.
How to watch tonight's game as TNT Sports moves to HBO Max
Tuesday 7 April 2026 19:38 , Flo CliffordTNT Sports viewers in the United Kingdom will have to get used to a new streaming home for the channels as HBO Max launches in the United Kingdom.
Previously housed on discovery+, all live sport currently shown on TNT Sports has now moved on to HBO’s streaming service, with the UK the last country in Europe in which it launches.
Next opponents
Tuesday 7 April 2026 19:33 , Flo CliffordThere’s still a whole other leg to come, but whoever wins this tie faces a blockbuster semi-final against the winner of PSG vs Liverpool, who face off in their first leg tomorrow night.
After the Reds were humbled 4-0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup this past weekend, PSG will no doubt be licking their lips ahead of that clash.
The other semi-final will see the winner of Sporting Lisbon and Arsenal, who also play their first leg tonight, against either Barcelona or Atletico Madrid.
Form guide
Tuesday 7 April 2026 19:28 , Flo CliffordBoth sides had been on strong runs in all competitions recently until Real were left bruised by a 2-1 defeat to relegation candidates Mallorca last time out, leaving them seven points behind Barcelona in La Liga and handing their fierce rivals even more of a domestic advantage.
But the Spanish giants are a different beast in Europe - and Real have won the Champions League in each of the last four editions when they knocked out Bayern.
Bayern went 2-0 down to Freiburg in their last game but despite having rotated heavily managed to come back to seal a 3-2 win, extending their unbeaten run to 13 games.
Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich live
Tuesday 7 April 2026 19:23 , Chris Wilson
Form guide
Tuesday 7 April 2026 19:17 , Flo CliffordBayern were second in the league phase and made it nine wins in their 10 games in this season's competition at the expense of Atalanta in the last 16, whom they defeated 10-2 on aggregate across two legs.
Form guide
Tuesday 7 April 2026 19:10 , Flo CliffordReal Madrid reached this stage for the sixth season in succession by overcoming Manchester City in the round of 16.
They had finished ninth in the league phase before beating Benfica in the knockout phase play-offs.
Old Liverpool teammates face off
Tuesday 7 April 2026 19:01 , Flo CliffordFormer Liverpool teammates Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz now face off as foes, with both in the starting XI for tonight’s game. Will Castle previewed this intriguing clash, and how it could reflect - or flip upside down - their respective seasons, here:
Why Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich could hinge on a Liverpool reunion
Vincent Kompany rings the changes
Tuesday 7 April 2026 18:53 , Chris Wilson at the BernabeuVincent Kompany has made five changes to the side that dramatically beat Freiburg last week.
In defence, Kim Min Jae and Tom Bischof make way for Dayot Upamecano and Konrad Laimer.
In midfield, Alexander Pavlovic comes in for Leon Goretzka, while in attack Harry Kane and Michael Olise return in place of Raphael Guerreiro and last week’s match-winner Lennart Karl.
Real Madrid team news
Tuesday 7 April 2026 18:52 , Flo CliffordReal Madrid XI: Lunin; Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Carreras, Valverde, Thiago, Tchouameni, Guler, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr.
Substitutes: Gonzalez, Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Bellingham, Camavinga, Gonzalo, Asencio, Ceballos, Garcia, Brahim, Mastantuono.
📋✅ Our starting XI!
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) April 7, 2026
🆚 @FCBayernEN pic.twitter.com/WndTZWD3I3
Kane starts for Bayern Munich
Tuesday 7 April 2026 18:47 , Flo CliffordBayern Munich XI: Neuer, Stanisic, Upamecano, Tah, Laimer, Pavlovic, Kimmich, Olise, Gnabry, Diaz, Kane.
Substitutes: Urbig, Prescott-Minjae, Goretzka, Musiala, Jackson, Davies, Bischof, Ito, Guerreiro, Karl.
💫🔴⚪ 𝐅𝐂 𝐁𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐑𝐍 𝐗𝐈 vs. 𝑅𝐸𝐴𝐿 𝑀𝐴𝐷𝑅𝐼𝐷 👊 pic.twitter.com/QpTMB81CZB
— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) April 7, 2026
Real Madrid make three changes
Tuesday 7 April 2026 18:41 , Chris Wilson at the BernabeuThree changes for Madrid from the side that lost 2-1 to Mallorca at the weekend.
Alvaro Arbeloa goes with the same back five but Fede Valverde and Thiago come into the midfield, with Vini Jr. replacing Brahim Diaz in attack as the final change.
No place in the starting XI for Jude Bellingham, which is perhaps no surprise given that he has so far been eased back into the side after returning from injury recently.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is a notable starter though, and you'd expect to see his England teammate feature at some point this evening.
Bayern Munich early team news
Tuesday 7 April 2026 18:35 , Flo CliffordBayern team news should be in very shortly, but while we wait for that, here’s a reminder of their main concerns. Bayern top scorer Harry Kane faces a race against time to be fit to start after pulling out of England duty with a minor problem, with Kompany set to make a late call. It means Nicolas Jackson could lead the line.
Predicted Bayern Munich XI: Neuer; Stanisic, Upamecano, Tah, Laimer; Kimmich, Goretzka; Olise, Gnabry, Diaz; Kane
Arbeloa calls on Real Madrid to 'step up'
Tuesday 7 April 2026 18:23 , Flo CliffordAlvaro Arbeloa laid out his expectations for his side: “I want to see a Real Madrid that has always stepped up against great rivals, like the one we will face in a Bayern Munich team that is having an exceptional season on all levels of play.
“In terms of results, it is likely to be the most consistent team in Europe so far this season. We know the challenge they will pose on the field and the history we have with Bayern Munich, which is always special for us.
“The Bernabeu will experience another great Champions League night, like the one we had against Manchester City. I'm sure it will be repeated.”
Kompany on Kane waiting game
Tuesday 7 April 2026 18:15 , Flo CliffordKane only returned to training a day before this game with a late decision set to be made. Kompany said on Monday: “I don’t think he’s lost his rhythm. We’ll wait and then decide.
“When someone has a muscle injury, it’s different to a ligament injury. Harry knows how important this match is. He must also say whether he’s ready to start. We want to and must win the match. We’ll see how it goes.
Vincent Kompany on 'absolute leader' Harry Kane
Tuesday 7 April 2026 18:07 , Flo CliffordOne significant aspect of this tie is the strength of both sides’ front line, with Harry Kane crucial to Bayern in front of goal.
While we wait to see if he passes a late fitness test, here’s what manager Vincent Kompany had to say about the Bundesliga giants’ star man.
“Harry is massively important for us, that’s obvious,” he said on Monday. “He has great importance for our game because he’s not just a finisher. He’s an absolute leader, a role model.”
Seasoned campaigners
Tuesday 7 April 2026 18:00 , Mike JonesBayern have featured in the Champions League proper in every season since 2008/09, reaching the knockout rounds every time.
This is their 29th campaign, fewer only than Barcelona and Real Madrid (both 30).
Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website
