Champions League: Real Madrid’s late magic beats Bayern Munich, sends 14-time winners to the final

SPORTSAREENA.comMay 9, 2024

9 3 minutes read

Doug McIntyre

Soccer Journalist

Real Madrid will play for a fifteenth European title in subsequent month’s Champions League final in London.

The continent’s most profitable group scored two late targets to overcome a 1-0 deficit and beat Bayern Munich on Wednesday in the semifinal second leg in the Spanish capital. Real substitute Joselu had each targets, which got here in the 88th and 91st minutes.

The outcome wasn’t with out controversy, although: Bayern had what they thought was a final gasp equalizer dominated out due to a blown offside name; video replays confirmed that the referee’s assistant erroneously raised his flag, inflicting the middle ref to cease play.

Los Blancos‘ will not care. Their victory units up a gathering with one other German facet, Borussia Dortmund, in membership soccer’s most vital match on June 1 at Wembley Stadium.

Below are a couple of fast ideas on Wednesday’s thriller.

Play of the sport

Davies’ opener was lovely. The winger minimize in from the left wing in the 68th minute and unleashed an unstoppable shot previous Real keeper Andriy Lunin and into the facet netting. It was a worthy first profession Champions League strike for the Canadian:

It’s been an attention-grabbing season for the 23-year-old, a longtime starter for Bayern who helped the membership win this competitors in 2020. Davies hasn’t been a primary selection this marketing campaign below supervisor Thomas Tuchel; he got here in off the substitutes’ bench on Wednesday after Serge Gnabry left with an harm late in the first half. The speedster’s wonderful strike was a reminder to each Bayern and Real — which is reportedly fascinated by bringing Davies to Madrid this summer time — of his all-world means.

Turning level

Real Madrid’s historical past in the competitors appears to give Los Blancos superpowers, particularly at residence. So it was once more at Estadio Bernabeu. Joselu, a 34-year-old journeyman who had by no means appeared in the Champions League earlier than this season, modified every thing when he equalized with simply two minutes of normal time to play:

With the momentum successfully swung at that time, Madridistas had to fancy their possibilities in further time. Joselu made positive it by no means received that far.

Key stat

It’s laborious to argue that Real did not deserve to advance primarily based on the numbers, with the hosts dominating by each single metric. Perhaps the most gaudy was photographs, with Real holding a 19-8 benefit.

What’s subsequent for Bayern Munich?

It’s a merciless finish to a depressing season for Bayern, which noticed its 11-year stranglehold on the Bundesliga title ended by Bayer Leverkusen. German Cup elimination meant the Champions League was the solely salvation for Tuchel — who had already agreed to depart the membership at season’s finish — and his group.

They had been shut. Really shut. But the chilly laborious actuality is that Bayern expects to win each trophy it competes for, and it got here up empty-handed on each entrance in 2024-25. Hey, no less than motivation will not be a problem subsequent 12 months.

What’s subsequent for Real Madrid?

A primary-ever final at Wembley. That it occurred is not any shock; with the all-important second leg at residence, Real was all the time going to have the benefit after leaving Munich final week with a share of the spoils, But the virtually comically predicable approach that it occurred speaks to the aura surrounding Europe’s most embellished facet and an incontrovertible fact: when Europe’s most coveted trophy is at stake, Real Madrid isn’t crushed earlier than the final whistle sounds.

Doug McIntyre is a soccer author for FOX Sports. Before becoming a member of FOX Sports in 2021, he was a workers author with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has coated United States males’s and girls’s nationwide groups at a number of FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.