Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid was one UEFA Champions League that had been talked about for weeks and the semi-final at the Allianz Arena didn’t disappoint with Los Blancos coming away with a priceless 2-1 away win on Wednesday.
Joshua Kimmich was the surprise goalscorer for the injury-hit hosts with a fine finish that took Keylor Navas by surprise but the two-time defending champions responded via fullback Marcelo to ensure the sides went into the interval level.
A calamitous error from Rafinha would allow substitute Marco Asensio to score what turned out to be the winner to hand the Spanish giants a definitive advantage ahead of the return leg.
Here are the five talking points from an intriguing tie in Munich:
Tactical, tense but gripping encounter
After Tuesday’s pyrotechnics at Anfield, the tie at the Allianz Arena could have been classified as a damp squib on first look.
After all, the Liverpool-Roma tie had seven goals while the second semi-final had ‘just’ three.
Both sides started on a relatively cautious note, especially the visitors, perhaps wary of exposing themselves too soon.
In the end, the game might not have been a rollercoaster but there was still plenty of drama nonetheless.
Not a classic tie by any stretch of the imagination, but for the most part, this was an intelligent display of football and after the thriller in Liveprool, perhaps just what the doctor ordered to calm fans’ heartbeats.
Either way, the return leg in the Spanish capital is nicely set up for Bayern will look to attack from the off and that will suit Real’s counter-attacking style.
Fullbacks trump vaunted forwards
Bayern had the likes of James Rodriguez, Arjen Robben (albeit briefly), Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller, but in the end it was the unassuming Joshua Kimmich who opened the scoring.
Whether the German fullback, billed as Philip Lahm’s heir, intended to score or not, he did, probably spoiling a plethora of bets on who the first scorer would be in the process.
Real weren’t lacking vaunted forwards either, with Isco, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lucas Vazquez all starting but it was Marcelo who would bail them out with a fine strike.
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How often has the swashbuckling Brazilian been Real’s get-out-of-jail-card?
Too often to count, for when he doesn’t find the back of the net, he supplies his teammate with a sublime assist and the South American is among the most underrated players in their squad, undoubtedly.
James Rodriguez fails to make his former side* pay
Toni Kroos was up against his former side too, but everyone knew this was all about James Rodriguez’s reininon with his former side (he’s on a two-season loan from Real).
And the talented Colombian disappointed in the end, although it wasn’t for lack of trying.
Yes, he did get the assist for the opener but a player of his reputation is expected to have a bigger impact in high-profile games such as these, isn’t he?
Probably, had it not been for his teammates profligacy, the fortunes could easily have been reversed but expect the left-footed South American to return to the Bernabeu with a point to prove next week.
Bayern dominate, but ruthless Real hold edge
Any other day and Franck Ribery would have had a brace, perhaps even a hat-trick.
The veteran winger had Deni Carvajal on the ropes for the most part of the tie, but just when he was in the clear, Keylor Navas came up with some big saves.
Still, the Frenchman and Robert Lewandowski can only have themselves to blame for they both had gilt-eded chances and yet failed to test the Real Madrid custodian then.
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Real, in stark contrast, made the most of their chances and came away with a priceless away win which puts them within touching distance of the final.
Sven Ulreich didn’t have much to do, yet managed to concede more goals than his counterpart, which just about tells you everything.
Early injuries cripple Die Bayern
Arjen Robben and Jerome Boateng exited the tie within the first 35 minutes and their injuries cannot be overstated.
The Dutch winger, in particular, has always been a nuisance for opposition sides whenever fit but his substitution in the sixth minute itself forced Jupp Heynckes into changing his side’s formation.
Then, with Boateng coming off with a groin injury, Bayern started to look vulnerable at the back and it’s not a surprise they conceded twice after his exit.
Plus, the fact that the hosts couldn’t make an early change in the second-half as they sought to chase the game would certainly have hamstrung them.
We’ll probably never know what could have been had the aforementioned duo not gotten injured.
And, it may seem like stating the obvious, but it looks unlikely that Robben and Boateng will be fit for next week’s return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Zidane’s bold substitution leaves fans puzzled
While Marco Asensio’s introduction proved to be an inspired one as the youngster yet again saved Real’s bacon by scoring a well-taken winner, Zidane’s second change of the night was the one that left many scratching their heads.
Dani Carvajal was struggling all night and eventually put his hands up as he signalled to the bench, Jesus Vallejo or Theo Hernandez looked likely to come on.
Zidane, however, opted to send on Karim Benzema for the injured Carvajal.
Yes, at 2-1 up away from home, Zidane sent on a forward for a fullback.
Vazquez switched to right-back and while he did well for the remainder of the tie, it must be said that Zidane was playing with fire and could very nearly have gotten burnt.