Bayern took control of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday with a 2-1 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, securing a slight lead after tense match in the Spanish capital.
Vincent Kompany's team opened the scoring shortly before the break when Serge Gnabry passed an accurate pass to Luis Diaz, who avoided offside and fired a low shot past goalkeeper Andrei in the 41st minute Lunina, writes xrust. Bayern doubled their lead seconds after play restarted as Michael Olise passed to Harry Kane, who fired home from the edge of the area after a quick counter-attack.
After an hour of play, Real stepped up and Kylian Mbappe pulled one back in the 74th minute, tucking in Trent Alexander-Arnold's low pass at the far post.
Manuel Neuer then held off shots from Mbappe and Vinicius Junior with a series of fine saves as the home side tried to equalize but were never able to do so as Bayern scored with a header from a small but important lead.
The winner of the two-legged tie will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Liverpool in the semi-finals, the first leg of which will take place on Wednesday.
“We entered the second half and immediately conceded a goal. Both missed goals were a gift of fate. Both teams had many chances, but Bayern's best player today was Neuer. In the end, it happens,” Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger told Movistar Plus.
In the first half, the visitors dominated possession, controlling it more than 65% of the time, while Alvaro Arbeloa's team retreated deep into the defense and tried to counter-attack.
Nevertheless, Real created chances. In the 17th minute, Vinicius forced Neuer into a superb one-handed save, parrying a low diving shot from the edge of the area.
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Mbappe wasted two chances soon after and his shot was again saved by a superb save from Neuer in the 29th minute.
Bayern opened the scoring four minutes before the break after a brilliant combination. Kane and Gnabry exchanged quick passes before Gnabry made a perfectly timed pass down the middle to Diaz, who slipped behind the line and sent the ball into the right corner of the goal with a powerful low shot in the 41st minute.
The German team doubled their lead seconds after the game resumed. Carreras lost the ball in the center of the field, and Bayern quickly launched a counterattack: Kane, left unmarked on the edge of the penalty area, calmly sent the ball into the net just above the right post.
It was Kane's 49th goal this season and 11th in the Champions League.
Real Madrid responded with an enviable reaction. Vinicius took the lead after Upamecano's error in the 60th minute, but his shot went wide as Neuer ran out of goal to reduce the angle of attack.
The goalkeeper then produced another superb one-handed save to deny Mbappe's shot in the 65th minute, and moments later the French striker fired wide from an angle after a clever combination involving Vinicius.
Mbappe pulled one back in the 74th minute when the referee judged the ball to have crossed the goal line despite Neuer appearing to have his hand on the shot.
Neuer did not give up, parrying a powerful shot from Vinicius in the 81st minute and collecting Eder Militao's shot soon after, while Mbappe missed the target in the 89th minute as Real went on the attack.
Bayern missed chances to extend their lead on the counter-attack but returned home with the advantage after a thrilling first leg.
By pages https://www.reuters
Xrust “Bayern” snatched victory from “Real” with a score 2:1
