3 things Real Madrid did right against Bayern Munich
Real Madrid are Bayern Munich's greatest mindblock in European football at the moment and the reigning European champions got on their wicks again, this time in their own backyard to tilt the scales in their favour after the first leg of the second UEFA Champions League semifinal.
It wasn't a piece of old tackle, however, for Zinedine Zidane's men and they showed great character to turn the tables when Bayern were threatening to take charge of proceedings.
Bayern were, of course, extremely unlucky as two of their star players - Arjen Robben and Jerome Boateng - had to be substituted in the first half after picking up injuries.
It was Bayern Munich that opened the scoring through a delightful Joshua Kimmich finish. Marcelo struck home a beauty from right outside the area in the 43rd minute to bring parity. A brilliant Marco Asensio finish early in the second half proved to be just enough to get them the all-important away victory that comes furnished with 2 away goals.
We take a look at the three things that Real Madrid got right against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena:
#3 Real Madrid thrive in adversity once again
Madrid didn't start the game with a high press but eventually deployed the tactic as Bayern Munich started to grow more and more comfortable on the ball. However, Bayern weren't hassled even when they did try to tighten up with their swift passing and movement.
The first goal was coming for a while and when it did arrive, it surprised nobody because that's the way the tide was flowing. However, in a season of mixed fortunes, Real Madrid have shown true character to still be in the reckoning for the greatest prize in Europe and they showed exactly why this could again be there year.
This was none else than Bayern Munich, on their turf, doing what they like to do despite losing one of their prime predators. But Madrid kept pushing and committed bodies forward in the search for a goal and it soon bore fruit.
Marcelo, as Peter Drury described on the telly, 'a nominal full-back who loves to attack', popped up outside the box and scored a peach that settled into the bottom corner of the netting.
The second goal was more typical of them, as they broke on the counter at breakneck speed and caught Bayern on the break to push them into an unfamiliar adverse territory.