REAL MADRID have secured their spot in the Champions League final following victory over Bayern Munich.The visitors took the lead through Alphonso Davies’ thunderbolt on 68 minutes.Right at the death, Joselu came off the bench to level the tie, then minutes later, the former Stoke City man scored his second of the night to send the Spanish giants to the Champions League final.Real Madrid will go head-to-head with Borussia Dortmund in the huge Wembley final in June.
Match result: Real Madrid 2-1 Bayern Munich (AGG 4-3)
Real Madrid team: Lunin, Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy, Valverde, Tchouameni, Kroos, Bellingham, Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr
Bayern Munich team: Neuer, De Ligt, Dier, Mazraoui, Kimmich, Pavlovic, Laimer, Musiala, Sane, Gnabry, Kane
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSFollow our live blog below…That’s all from the Bernabeu
So now we know: it will be Real Madrid that take on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final next month.
And while no Premier League clubs made it as far as this season’s semis, there will be one Englishman involved in June’s Wembley showpiece.
Jude Bellingham has lived the dream this past 12 months since moving to Spain, and now he’s 90 minutes away from winning the biggest prize in the European game – against the German club he left to join Los Blancos.
Expect more dreams to be made, more drama to the end, and more broken hearts. We can’t wait.
Until then, thanks for joining us, and goodbye.
Copy linkCopiedExtra! Read all about it!
Before we call time on a dramatic night, let’s relive the thrills and spills from the Bernabeu with Andy Dillon’s match report of Real Madrid’s 2-1 win against Bayern Munich. I dare say it’s a piece that required one or two rewrites.
Jude Bellingham will be joining the world’s most illustrious team on a grubby industrial estate in North West London in a bid to achieve a footballing dream. Bellingham is on his way to Wembley to face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final on June 1 in the hope of capping an already memorable year by lifting the biggest prize in club football.Andy DillonThe Sun
Copy linkCopiedTuchel fumes at stoppage time decision
An extremely frustrated Thomas Tuchel revealed that the linesman had apologised to him after the game for a late offside call that denied Bayern an injury time equaliser.
The Polish official raised his flag as the visitors threw the kitchen sink at Real Madrid in search of a goal, subsequently leading to a Konrad Laimer effort being ruled out.
Law changes since the implementation of VAR has meant that close calls should not be called as offside until the attaching phase has broken down, but the officials combined to stop play just before the ball ended up in the Real Madrid net.
Later replays showed that the offside decision was a very tight, and would have likely needed detailed video analysis.
We scored one and it’s a disastrous decision from the linesman and the referee. It feels like a betrayal in the end because of that decision. The linesman said sorry, but that does not help. At this level to raise the flag for a close position in the last minute, and the referee too – he does not have to whistle. He sees we win the second ball, he sees that we get the shot away, and to whistle is a very, very bad decision. It’s against the rules, and it’s a disaster from both of them. It’s tough to swallow.Thomas TuchelTNT Sports
Copy linkCopiedReal digging deep for Don Carlo
Jude Bellingham said at full time that this Real Madrid never know when they are beaten – and they have proved in time and time again under Carlo Ancelotti this season.
In the Champions League alone this campaign, Don Carlo’s Real have won four matches in which they have conceded the opening goal.
It is the most wins from behind that any club has managed in the competition since 2016-17.
Seven years ago, it was also Real making a habit of fighting back, and that year their never-say-die attitude helped them win the trophy.
Copy linkCopiedHargreaves slams Tuchel’s late subs
Former Bayern Munich ace Owen Hargreaves has hit out at the late substitutions from Thomas Tuchel that saw Harry Kane replaced.
Tuchel also took off Jamal Musiala in the 85th minute as Eric Choupo-Moting and Thomas Muller were brought on.
The Bayern coach had already subbed off Leroy Sane, having lost Serge Gnabry to injury in the first half, leaving the German giants light and disjointed in attack.
I’ll tell you what was unexpected, Harry Kane going off the pitch. That is one of the biggest subs I’ve ever seen in a game of that magnitude. To take off a guy who has scored 44 goals, who is the most durable players, and you bring on another striker in Choupo-Moting… you cannot take him off. There’s five minutes left of the game, another ten of stoppage time – that’s 15 minutes, and I said Real were going to score, and then what? I love Thomas Tuchel, but I don’t know why he made that call. They had it in their hands and let it go. You cannot make those subs.Owen HargreavesTNT Sports
Copy linkCopiedTwo good four Bayern Munich
Real Madrid hero Joselu scored two goals off the bench despite only getting the call from the bench in the 81st minute.
And even more startling is the fact that the Germany-born Spanish only had four touches during his time on the pitch.
It’s just that two of them ended up in the goals that fired Real to the Champions League final.
Copy linkCopiedLos Blancos through to final 18
Real Madrid’s dramatic late win this evening means they will face Borussia Dortmund in what will be their 18th final of either the European Cup or Champions League.
It is an astonishing figure, and seven more than the next-best of 11 finals managed by AC Milan and Bayern Munich.
Remarkably, however, this season’s showpiece on June 1st will be Los Blancos’ first European final to be played at Wembley Stadium.
Copy linkCopiedEmotional Jude hails Joselu impact
Jude Bellingham will end his incredible first season in Madrid with a Champions League final against former club Borussia Dortmund.
And at the end of an astonishing ending, the youngster still found the composure and grace to pay tribute to goalscoring hero Joselu and the Bernabeu fans.
There have been a lot of times we have looked dead and buried, but we have that mentality of never say die. And Joselu deserves it all, he has been an amazing squad member this season. He won’t get much sleep tonight and I’m sure he’ll be rubbish in training tomorrow. There is a reason we turn around so many games, it’s because of these [fans]. They give you an energy you can’t get from anything else.Jude BellinghamTNT Sports
Copy linkCopiedMatch stats from the Bernabeu
Manuel Neuer’s mistake that prompted Real Madrid’s 88th-minute equaliser is his first error that has led to an opposition goal in a Champions League match since April 2021. Bad timing.
Copy linkCopiedFull time – Real Madrid 2-1 Bayern (Agg: 4-3)
It’s all over! Real Madrid have made it to Wembley!
Szymon Marcniak’s final whistle sparks more wild celebrations inside the Bernabeu from those in white as the distraught Bayern players crash to the turf.
What an astonishing ending to two legs that repeatedly swung one way and then the other, and it will be Real that face Borussia Dortmund in the final.
Copy linkCopiedReal Madrid 2-1 Bayern (Agg: 4-3)
90+14. Order has been restored on the pitch – apart from Thomas Muller, who looks like he’s going to explode with rage.
But time is almost up. Real Madrid are almost there.
Copy linkCopiedReal Madrid 2-1 Bayern (Agg: 4-3)
90+12. Wow! This semi-final just couldn’t end without some further controversy!
A late, long ball is pumped up in the direction of makeshift forward Matthijs De Light, whose presence leads to Antonio Rudiger nodding it back into the path of Thomas Muller.
At that point, and with the attack still alive, the linesman sticks his flag up for offside just as Muller nudges it to Konrad Laimer to sweep home clinically.
Replays immediately show that the call was very, very close, and there is no way that the flag should have gone up in that scenario.
Bayern’s players and staff are absolutely livid, and now the officials are struggling to keep control.
Copy linkCopiedReal Madrid 2-1 Bayern (Agg: 4-3)
90+7. Thomas Tuchel is urging his players to calm down, and telling them there is time still to play.
But this is a Bayern team no longer with Kane, Sane, Musiala or Gnabry on the pitch, and – sad to say – they look out of ideas.
Copy linkCopiedReal Madrid 2-1 Bayern (Agg: 4-3)
90+4. It was initially nine minutes of stoppage time that was signalled but we could well be heading for more.
There’s time, but these Bayern Munich players look crushed.
The Bernabeu is jumping!
Copy linkCopiedReal Madrid 2-1 Bayern (Agg: 4-3)
90+1. It’s absolutely astonishing!
From 1-0 down with two minutes remaining, Real Madrid are suddenly 2-1 ahead inside the first minute of stoppage time – and former Stoke City flop Joselu has got them both!
The substitute’s tap-in is initially ruled out for offside after he converts Antonio Rudiger’s square ball, but word quickly comes through that VAR want a further look.
The stills look offside at first glance but on closer inspection there really is not much in it at all…
The Real Madrid players wait. The Real Madrid fans wait. The Real Madrid bench wait.
Then signal is given that the goal should stand, and all hell breaks loose within the Bernabeu.
This famous stadium has never been so loud! It’s rarely had it so good!
Copy linkCopiedJoselu does it again!
Copy linkCopiedReal Madrid 1-1 Bayern (Agg: 3-3)
89. It’s all Real Madrid now! The tide has turned! They believe they can win this in normal time now!
Copy linkCopiedReal Madrid 1-1 Bayern (Agg: 3-3)
88. This Champions League semi-final is level once again!
Manuel Neuer has been the Bayern Munich hero all night, but he’s made a disastrous mistake right at the end.
There was little concern when Vinicius Jr lined up another speculative effort from the corner of the penalty area, but the German goalkeeper spilled it under no pressure at the feet of substitute Joselu.
The former Stoke City and Newcastle forward – on loan at Real from Espanyol and just one – reacted in the right place to pounce and convert from close range.
And now we’re heading for extra-time – or are we?
Copy linkCopiedEqualiser!
Copy linkCopiedReal Madrid 0-1 Bayern (Agg: 2-3) – Bayern substitutions
84. Two more changes for the visitors, and it’s the end of the night for both Harry Kane and Jamal Musiala.
It’s a bold move from Tuchel in case this tie ends up going to extra-time, but now it’s the turn of Thomas Muller and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.
Moments earlier, Real had made two subs of their own with Joselu and Brahim Diaz on for Federico Valverde and Rodrygo respectively.
If nothing else, the former Stoke City quota is up to two,
Copy linkCopiedReal Madrid 0-1 Bayern (Agg: 2-3)
82. Pavlovic heads against the crossbar from a Bayern corner, but the whistle had already gone to indicate a foul from the midfielder.
Copy linkCopiedReal Madrid 0-1 Bayern (Agg: 2-3)
80. Ten. Minutes. Remain.
The atmosphere among the home fans has gone flat, but they need to keep on believing.
After all, Real Madrid have scored in each of their last 34 Champions League home knockout stage games since losing 2-0 to Barcelona in the 2011 semi-final.
Copy linkCopiedReal Madrid 0-1 Bayern (Agg: 2-3) – Bayern substitution
78. Thomas Tuchel makes a defensive change.
On comes Kim Min-Jae, often troubled in the first leg, in place of Leroy Sane.
What’s the German for shutting up shop?
Copy linkCopiedReal Madrid 0-1 Bayern (Agg: 2-3)
76. Kane has a chance to seal his side’s place in the Champions League final, but fires Leroy Sane’s cheeky pass into the side netting.
That could have been that.
Copy linkCopiedReal Madrid 0-1 Bayern (Agg: 2-3)
74. Sure enough, replays show that Joshua Kimmich was actually pushed in the face and to the ground by Nacho, shortly before the defender go the telling touch.
The home fans aren’t happy, but Szymon Marciniak returns from the pitchside monitor and chalks off what they felt was an instant response.
Copy linkCopied More
