Bayern Munich 1-2 Real Madrid: Los Blancos do it again

Bayern Munich 1-2 Real Madrid: Los Blancos do it again

Ribéry controla un balón marcado por Lucas y Carvajal
Ribéry controla un balón marcado por Lucas y Carvajal | AFP

Kimmich opened the scoring for Bayern but Marcelo and Asensio hit back

Love them or loathe them, there is something about Real Madrid, especially in the Champions League.

MATCH FACTS
Champions League

BAY

1 ________________ 2

MAD

LINE UP

Bayern Múnich

Ulreich, Kimmich, Boateng (Sule, 33'), Hummels, Rafinha, Javi Martínez (Tolissso, 74'), Múller, Robben (Thiago, 7'). Ribéry, James y Lewandoski.

Real Madrid

Keylor Navas, Carvajal (Benzema, 65'), Varane, Ramos, Marcelo, Casemiro (Kovavic, 82'), Modric, Kroos, Lucas Vázquez, Isco (Asensio, 45') y Cristiano Ronaldo

Goles

1-0, Kimmich (28'); 1-1, Marcelo (43'); 1-2, Asensio (55')

Árbitro

Bjorn Kuipers (holandés). TA: Ribéry (51'), Thiago (88') / Casemiro (76')

Incidencias

Allianz Arena, 75.000 espectadores

Few sides could go to a coliseum of European football like the Allianz Arena, get outplayed, and leave with a 2-1 win. But few sides are like Real Madrid, and it is no coincidence that they have won the European Cup 12 times and are bidding for a remarkable third consecutive triumph.

It looked as if their luck might finally have run out when Joshua Kimmich gave Bayern the lead and the hosts continued to pour forward, threatening to increase their lead.

But a stunning first time strike from Marcelo pulled Madrid level just at the right time, moments before half-time.

Then sensational substitute Marco Asensio does what he tends to do on the biggest stage and scored a wonder goal, driving forward, playing a one-two off Lucas Vazquez and delivering an ice cool finish past Sven Ulreich to take Madrid ahead in the game.

It is the second time in the knockout stages this season they have come from behind to win a first leg, their comeback mimicking their turnaround against Paris St Germain in the last 16 at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Zinedine Zidane’s side really suffered in the opening stages at a raucous Allianz Arena which was hungry for revenge after losing to Madrid there in the 2013/14 semi-final second leg and last season in a quarter-final first leg.

Bayern had the majority of possession and attacked with purpose and speed. 

Not 20 seconds had gone when Robert Lewandowski flashed a shot across Keylor Navas’s goal.

Bayern took the lead through an expert move starting with Ulreich passing the ball out from the back and former Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez rolled the ball into the path of Kimmich, who took Navas by surprise with a thumping shot which the  Costa Rican could not keep out.

The Bavarians had more chances but could not take advantage. Madrid had scant opportunities, but they were not so wasteful. Marcelo’s strike to level the game in the 44th minute was the perfect example of why Real are so dominant in Europe. They only need one strike to pounce, and pounce is exactly what the Brazilian did, drilling the ball into the corner, leaving Ulreich stunned.

Real improved after the break and stopped leaking chances. They were not exactly gung-ho at the other end but they did not need to be, as Asensio, who lest we forget rarely starts for Zidane’s side, started and finished the move for their next goal.

Bayern had a strong penalty shout down the other end when Thomas Muller went down from a challenge from Sergio Ramos. Not for the first time, Madrid got the benefit of the doubt from the referee.

Karim Benzema could have made it 3-1 later but shot straight at Ulreich. Ronaldo did score but had his goal correctly ruled out. 

Madrid still return to the Spanish capital with an ideal advantage. Of course, we cannot forget how they suffered against Juventus in their quarter-final second leg with an even bigger advantage. 

But we also should not forget that Real are accustomed to riding out the difficult moments and coming out on top. They are also accustomed to getting to European Cup finals, and to winning them. Only a fool would bet against them doing it again.