- Vinicius Junior scored twice, including an equalizing penalty in the 83rd minute, to steal a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich.
Vinicius Junior scored twice, including an equalizing penalty in the 83rd minute, to steal a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich.
Vinicius took advantage of two mistakes made by Bayern center-back Kim Min-jae just before halftime to keep the tie evenly balanced going into the second leg on May 8 at Santiago Bernabeu.
After surviving an early storm from their German opponents, Vinicius broke through Kim’s defense to meet a wonderful ball from Toni Kroos and put the first goal past Manuel Neuer in the 24th minute.
Within the opening 12 minutes of the second half, Leroy Sane’s stunning strike—his first since October 28—and Bayern’s calm penalty from Harry Kane rapidly flipped the tie on its head.
Prior to the last quarter of the match, Real Madrid led by Thomas Tuchel’s team. However, Carlo Ancelotti’s team was given a chance to level the score after Kim fouled Rodrygo inside the area. Vinicius calmly converted the penalty seven minutes from time to give Real Madrid hope.
Bayern’s dominant start
Vini calmly slots the ball past Neuer in the first half. Photo/ El Correo
Sane forced an early save from Andriy Lunin at his near post for Bayern, who settled into the game much more quickly than Real Madrid. Kane then made an outrageous long-range attempt from just inside Real’s half that landed on the top of the net, much to the relief of the retreating Lunin.
In the 24th minute, Vinicius scored the first goal on goal for Los Blancos, who had trouble getting going early on. Despite this, they were content to absorb the pressure and use their opportunities on the counterattack.
The Brazilian forward scored with elegance after breaking through on a lovely through-ball from ex Bayern midfielder Kroos. Neuer was caught off guard and should have moved off his line sooner to stop the threat.
After winning the first goal, Ancelotti’s team gained momentum and offered a bigger danger in the closing third of the game. However, just before halftime, Kane’s fierce free kick went just wide of Lunin’s right post, giving Bayern a chance to tie the score.
With Raphael Guerreiro replacing Leon Goretzka in the second half, Bayern attempted to rekindle their early momentum from the first half, and Sane was the catalyst for that, scoring a strong equalizer less than ten minutes after the break.
Harry Kane scored from the penalty spot. Photo/ Telegraph
A few minutes later, Lucas Vazquez awkwardly stretched out a leg to bring down Jamal Musiala inside the area, and Kane scored a penalty kick to cap Bayern’s comeback, sending Lunin the other way.
In his first season at Bayern, Kane has already scored an incredible 43 goals in as many games. The 30-year-old has also contributed directly to 11 goals in the Champions League (eight goals, three assists), which is the highest by any English player in a single season in the league.
After Tuchel took the risky choice to start Serge Gnabry in place of Thomas Muller, who was playing in his 150th Champions League game, and set up a four-man front line for the last ten minutes, Bayern appeared to have the best chance to score again and seize control of the match.
But inside the penalty area, Kim unnecessarily pulled Rodrygo to the ground, giving Real Madrid a lifeline. After more than a minute of standing in front of a chorus of Bayern jeers, Vinicius calmly placed a penalty kick beyond Neuer to tie the score at 2-2.
For the third year in a row, Vinicius has scored in the Champions League semifinals. This season, he has scored 21 goals in 34 appearances in all competitions; only Bellingham (21) has scored as many goals for Real Madrid as of yet.
After agreeing to a share of the spoils, both teams will fancy their chances of winning the second leg the following week. However, they will now temporarily return their focus to domestic matters, with Real Madrid hosting Cadiz in La Liga on Saturday and Bayern traveling to Stuttgart in the Bundesliga on the same day.
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