Bayern Munich and Real Madrid shared the spoils in a dramatic 2-2 draw in the first leg of their blockbuster Champions League semi-final tie yesterday night.
Though the Germans had more scoring chances than the record-time European champions in the first half, a moment of brilliance from Toni Kroos gave Madrid a half-time lead.
Kroos’ defence-splitting pass put Vinicius Junior one-on-one with Manuel Neuer, and the Brazilian showed composure and lethal finishing to fire Carlo Ancelotti’s side 1-0 up.
It was the forward’s 29th goal contribution in the Champions League since the start of the 2021/22 campaign, with no other player involved in more goals during that stretch.
He made it 30 at the tail-end from the spot as Madrid salvaged a precious draw at the Allianz Arena.
Vinicius has tallied 15 goals and 15 assists in the last three seasons at Europe’s top table, showing he’s a man for the big occasion as he continues to make strides at Los Merengues.
Madrid failed to hold onto their lead at the start of the second half.
Leroy Sane made light work of Ferland Mendy before slamming the ball past Andriy Lunin to make it 1-1, setting the tone for Bayern’s lightning-quick comeback.
Moments after Sane’s equaliser, Lucas Vasquez tackled Jamal Musiala to the ground inside the box to send the Bundesliga top-scorer Harry Kane to the spot.
As in his glory days at Tottenham Hotspur, the England captain was ruthless, sending Lunin the wrong way to complete the turnaround for his eighth goal this Champions League campaign.
In addition to his impressive scoring exploits, Kane has added three assists, taking his goal-contribution tally to 11 goals, a feat unmatched by an English player in the competition’s history.
Kane’s international teammate, Jude Bellingham, didn’t have a great game, yet it was his 32nd appearance in Europe’s elite club competition, with only Cesc Fabregas (34) making more before turning 21.
Speaking of appearance records, Thomas Muller featured in his 150th Champions League match for Bayern, becoming only the third player to hit this milestone with a single club after Iker Casillas and Xavi Hernandez.
If the German star graces the Santiago Bernabeu pitch next week and the Bavarians reach the grand final, Muller could break Xavi’s record of 151 at Wembley Stadium.
The same goes for Bellingham – who will turn 21 in late June – if Los Blancos advance into a record-extending 18th Champions League title decider.
With this many record contenders, fans can only look forward to the return leg in Spain.
It could still go both ways
Los Merengues are not a side you want to bet against in the Champions League, especially in these final stages.
However, Thomas Tuchel got the better of Ancelotti at this juncture three years ago en route to Chelsea’s second Champions League title.
This time, he has Kane and a squad packed with talent to repeat that success, but Madrid have continental glory deeply embedded in their DNA material.
Ancelotti’s men weren’t at their best on Tuesday and still avoided defeat despite attempting just three shots on target.
Bellingham, two games away from the record, couldn’t make a difference and will have to step up at home if the Spaniards are to navigate this evenly-poised tie.
Much greater concern is at the back as Vasquez and Mendy couldn’t cope with Musiala and Sane, respectively.
Dani Carvajal’s return from suspension will probably see him take Vasquez’s place on the right, yet Ancelotti must still address Mendy’s shortcomings on the opposite side.
Eduardo Camavinga could be a decent makeshift option, though it’s hard to forget how Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden ruined him in the quarter-finals.
As for Bayern, Tuchel must find a way to relieve some pressure on Musiala. The teen prodigy was the Germans’ driving force in Munich, enjoying more possession than any other home player.
Despite Muller’s record aspirations, leaving him on the bench wouldn’t be a terrible choice, considering Serge Gnabry’s introduction would inject more pace and energy into Bayern’s one-dimensional attack.
While Dayot Upamecano seems like a gamble, given his previous blunders on the big stage, replacing Kim Min-jae makes sense following the Korean’s woeful performance last night.
Apart from giving away a cheap spot-kick, he had several mistimed tackles and let Vinicius slip his mark a couple of times, only to be bailed out by Neuer’s stunning save shortly before the penalty.
Small details could make the difference in such an evenly-contested showdown, and these could be the areas where both teams can improve in the second leg.
