FC Bayern secured a strong starting position in the Champions League quarter-final first leg with a 2-1 win at Real Madrid. The Munich side dominated the game for a long time, but were made to tremble in the closing stages.
Vincent Kompany made five changes to his starting eleven compared to the 3-2 win against SC Freiburg, with Dayot Upamecano, Konrad Laimer, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Michael Olise and Harry Kane all coming into the team. The return of Kane in particular proved to be decisive.
A high-class game developed from the outset at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. Bayern took control early on and created some good opportunities. Dayot Upamecano missed the best chance when he failed to put the ball in the net from close range (10′). However, Real Madrid also became dangerous in the course of the first half, with Manuel Neuer repeatedly having to intervene against Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Junior.
Bayern’s efforts were rewarded shortly before the break: after winning the ball, Bayern switched quickly and Serge Gnabry played a powerful pass to Luis Díaz, who kept his cool in front of Andriy Lunin and slotted home to take the lead (41′).
Kane adds another – Bayern wobbles in the closing stages
The record champions struck again immediately after the restart: After Aleksandar Pavlovic won the ball, Michael Olise played the ball through to Harry Kane, who struck the ball precisely into the corner from around 18 meters to make it 2:0 (46′).
Michael Olise remained a constant source of trouble, while the defence around Upamecano and Tah stood firm for long periods. Manuel Neuer also put in a strong performance, making several saves from Mbappé.
As the game progressed, however, Bayern withdrew somewhat and allowed Real to come forward. The Whites became more dangerous and finally got the equalizer: Trent Alexander-Arnold exploited the space on the right and fed Kylian Mbappé, who pushed the ball over the line (74′).
Strong Neuer holds on to Bayern victory
An intense period of pressure from the hosts developed in the closing stages. Real pressed for an equalizer and had several good opportunities, including through Mbappé and Vinícius Junior, but Neuer was on hand to keep the ball out on several occasions. A shot from Mbappé in the closing stages also narrowly missed the target.
Although Bayern continued to make pinpricks, for example through Musiala and Davies, they were unable to decide the game early on. It remained tense until the final minutes before the record champions managed to hold on to their narrow lead. In the end, FC Bayern secured an important 2-1 away win at the Bernabéu.
FC Bayern will continue their Bundesliga campaign at FC St. Pauli on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Real Madrid will host FC Girona on Friday at 9 p.m. The second leg between the two teams will take place next week on Wednesday at 9 p.m. in the Allianz Arena.