"Neuer went from Neuer to Karius", "Can't take the Spurs out of Kane" - Top 10 funniest memes as Real Madrid reach UCL final by beating Bayern
Real Madrid dramatically and controversially booked their place in the UEFA Champions League final with a chaotic 2-1 comeback win against Bayern Munich that set X (formerly Twitter) ablaze. Carlo Ancelotti's men staged one of their familiar turnarounds to win 4-3 on aggregate through loanee Joselu on Wednesday night (May 8).
Joselu came on in the 81st minute while Madrid were 1-0 behind but he quickly became an unlikely hero for Los Blancos. The Spanish striker (on loan from Espanyol) netted a three-minute brace in the dying embers.
Real Madrid dominated proceedings in the first half with several attempts at the impressive Manuel Neuer's goal. The German goalkeeper produced many superb saves but his night would ultimately end in calamity.
Bayern took the lead perhaps against the run of play in the 68th minute. A moment of class from Alphonso Davies saw the Canadian left-back fire a fierce right-footed effort past Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin. Harry Kane provided the assist with an excellent pass that was finished off in style.
Thomas Tuchel reacted by making several changes, including bringing Harry Kane and Jamal Musiala off. He tried a defensive approach to weather the inevitable storm, but it was inadvertently Neuer who sent the hosts on their way to the final.
Vinicius Junior tried his luck at goal in the 88th minute and it looked like a simple catch for the Bayern shot-stopper. Instead, he fumbled the ball, and Joselu pounced by firing in a vital equalizer.
Joselu took just three minutes to grab his second and the eventual winner although it came in controversy. Antonio Rudiger fired the ball across the face of the goal and the Spaniard met it.
The former Stoke City striker was initially flagged offside but VAR intervened. Replays showed he was behind the ball when Rudiger played it to him and the goal stood much to the delight of the Santiago Bernabeu faithful.
The drama didn't end there though because Tuchel's men felt aggrieved that they weren't awarded a goal right at the death. Matthijs de Ligt had the ball in the back of the net in the 90+12th minute but a flag was raised as Eric Choupo-Moting was deemed offside in the build-up.
VAR wasn't used and Polish referee Szymon Marciniak blew for the final whistle. Choupo-Moting looked onside on replays and Bayern were rightly outraged but it was Real Madrid who booked a Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund.
The Bavarians' misery has been compounded on social media and Kane is the main victim. One meme hilariously pointed out that the former Tottenham Hotspur striker is still 'Spursy':
"You can take the Kane out of Spurs but you can’t take the Spurs out of Kane."
Another post compared Neuer's blunder to Loris Karius' from the 2019 Champions League final:
"Manuel Neuer went from Manuel Neuer to Karius in the same match."
Here are more hysterical memes from a pulsating Champions League semifinal clash:
Manuel Neuer's pre-match comments come back to haunt him as Bayern lose to Real Madrid
Neuer, unfortunately, foreshadowed his disastrous error in Bayern's loss to Real Madrid. The two-time Champions League winner was excellent until his mistake, making five saves including an eye-catching one to keep Vinicius at bay.
However, the 38-year-old won't want to rewatch the moment he spilled the Brazilian's second-half attempt. Joselu was on hand to capitalize on his blunder which he'd warned his side about before the clash (via Get Football News Germany):
"Against Real Madrid it always comes down to the little things. The concentration will be very high, nobody wants to make a mistake."
Bayern and Neuer have ended the season trophyless while Real Madrid will meet Dortmund in the final at Wembley on June 1. Ancelotti's side could add the Champions League trophy to their La Liga and Supercopa de Espana triumphs.