Substitute Joselu scored two late goals to seal a rebound victory for Real Madrid against Bayern Munich in the Champions League second leg of their semi-final tie.
Joselu’s late twofold for 14-time victors Genuine Madrid dazed Bayern Munich as Los Blancos secured one more vital semi-last circle back in the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu to set up a last standoff with Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on 1 June.
Not like the first-leg draw in Bavaria, Carlo Ancelotti’s men hoped to direct play from the off and ruled procedures right off the bat, with Vinícius Júnior typically the power source they hoped to take advantage of front and center.
The two-goa legend in Munich tried Manuel Neuer with the first test of an extreme opening period, as the 38-year-old goalkeeper got the smallest of contacts to turn the Brazilian international’s low strike onto within the post. The Bayern No1 quickly recuperated to stop Rodrgyo’s effort from the bounce back at the second time.
It took Bayern until not long before the half-hour mark to answer in kind, with Harry Kane’s deft volley constraining Andriy Lunin right into it, with the home goalkeeper tipping the strike around the upstanding at full stretch.
The pace of substitute Alphonso Davies, on as a first-half replacement for the injured Serge Gnabry, stretched the home defence and the replacement’s deflected strike early in the second half flew over Lunin but looped onto the roof of the Ukrainian’s net.
The two sides swapped attacking blows with increasing regularity, as Vinícius Júnior proved a thorn in the Bayern defence again, cutting in from the left touchline to gallop into the area before picking out Rodrygo, who could only prod wide.
The Brazilian pairing found Neuer in fine form in a matter of minutes, with the German international equal to Rodrygo’s curling free-kick before Vinícius Júnior forced an acrobatic save after a mazy run from the left moments later.
In any case, it was the speed and strong running of Bayern’s Davies that got the first goal. Dashing onto Kane’s lobbed ball from right inside the Bavarians’ a portion of, the Canadian international dropped his shoulder to trick Antonio Rüdiger and shift ownership onto his right, prior to sending a decided curling iron into the furthest corner.
The 14-time winners pushed forward for an equalizer, but Vinícius Júnior could scoop over from Rüdiger’s delivery over the Bayern back line.
Real Madrid, who had scored in each knockout stage home match in this competition extending back to April 2011, were not to be denied.
It was one of Carlo Ancelotti’s substitutes who swung the game back their direction. Joselu, sent on with a little more than ten minutes remaining, was speediest to respond when Neuer couldn’t hold Vinícius Júnior’s strong shot.
Merengues’ semi-final turnaround against Manchester City here two years ago, when sub Rodrygo struck twice late on, the 34-year-old pounced for his second in added time, guiding home Rüdiger’s low centre to complete the breathtaking turnaround and book a date with Dortmund at Wembley on 1 June.
Meanwhile, Player of the Match, Vinícius Júnior’s immediate play was a steady danger which gave Madrid confidence in the win. His way to deal with the game was infectious and his various one-on-one circumstances assisted with making the exceedingly significant first goal for the host team.
Bayern were so close to completing the ‘Wembley 2.0’ line-up with Dortmund. In the context of this turbulent season, what could have been a magical night at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu turns into a truly heart-breaking experience. The Bavarian giants reminded everyone of their quality in this compelling Champions League campaign that was minutes away from taking them to a 12th showpiece.
Joselu has scored five goals in his last seven outings in this competition. The Spanish international became the third substitute to score twice in a Champions League semi-final fixture, after Liverpool’s Georginio Wijnaldum in 2018/19 and Real Madrid’s Rodrygo in 2021/22.
Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti will preside over his sixth UEFA Champions League final as a manager, further extending his competition record.
Meanwhile, Toni Kroos became the seventh player to reach 150 appearances in the UEFA Champions League, and only the second German – after Bayern’s Thomas Müller – to hit that landmark.
The Real Madrid No. 8 played his twentieth semi-final match in the competition, with just Cristiano Ronaldo (21) featuring in more.
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