Real Madrid beat Bayern Munich 4-0 (agg 5-0) to advance to Champions League final
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace and broke Lionel Messi’s record for most goals in a single Champions League campaign (16).
Real Madrid may have carved their own destiny after a long time. As the wait for La Decima goes, Real inch one step closer after destroying Bayern Munich in the second leg of the Champions League semifinals in the Allianz Arena.
When the referee blew the final whistle, the score line read 4-0 in Real Madrid’s favour and a 5-0 on aggregate over the two legs. The so-called unstoppable Bayern Munich took a real trashing at the hands of Real Madrid and their fans will never forget this night.
The teams started with each of them making just one change from the previous game. Gareth Bale made the starting lineup for today’s game in place of Isco while Thomas Muller replaced Rafinha for the Bavarians.
The first half started without much theatrics as the teams lined up in the expected way. With Bayern Munich looking to keep the ball, Madrid set up their team to attack on the break and it worked like a charm. Guardiola’s high defensive line proved to be Bayern’s undoing as Real Madrid looked very threatening right from the beginning.
A swift counter attack in the 15th minute resulted in a corner for Real Madrid which subsequently led to the goal. As Luka Modric took the corner, Sergio Ramos was surprisingly unmarked at the far corner and he hit a powerful header into the net leaving Manuel Neuer with no chance.
This goal literally caught Bayern off guard and while they were recovering from the shock, Ramos made it 2-0. Another counter attack in the 19th minute had led to Dante fouling Ronaldo outside the box. As Di Maria curled in the free kick, Ramos diverted the ball towards the net after it had taken a slight deflection. With the aggregate at 3-0, the tie almost decided, Real Madrid had comprehensively confirmed their place in the final.
But, all was not over yet. Real Madrid had disrupted the set up of Bayern Munich and the defending champions were having a hard time recouping. Real took advantage of the unsettled Bayern Munich to add a third with Ronaldo getting his name on the scoresheet this time around. A counter attack led by Gareth Bale split the defence and the Welshman’s pace was too much for them. Being one on one with the keeper, Bale passed it to Ronaldo, who calmly finished past Neuer to break the record for most goals in a Champions League campaign (15).
Within thirty five minutes on the clock, Real Madrid were leading 3-0 and had completely squashed any hopes of a comeback by Bayern Munich. The rest of the half was completed without much ado. Although, Xabi Alonso got himself suspended from the final with a needless tackle on Bastian Schweinstiger. Real Madrid will surely miss him in the next game.
As the second half started, Bayern got a grip on the game and looked to channel their attacks through the right with Arjen Robben and Philipp Lahm. Unfortunately, it was far too late and Fabio Coentrao was doing an excellent job. Likewise, Dani Carvajal had Franck Ribery in his pockets and this was a night to forget for Ribery.
While possession was still with Bayern, Madrid looked threatening with a couple of counter attacks and should have scored another goal. As the match was heading into its final moments, another counter attack produced a free kick within striking range. And Cristiano Ronaldo hit it beneath the wall to complete a brace and end the day on a happy note.
At the final whistle, the scoreline read Real Madrid 4–0 Bayern Munich. This was an indication that tiki-taka football was nearing its inevitable end as Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo made sure Bayern wouldn’t walk away with the honours tonight.
With such an impressive performance, Real Madrid are the favourites for the title and La Decima could well be within their reach.