MADRID — Sometimes that well-known Bernabéu magic is not fairly sufficient.
Real Madrid have had so many nice UEFA Champions League nights at this stadium, beating usually superior groups in regularly inexplicable circumstances. But in Tuesday’s 1-2 loss to Bayern Munich, actuality caught up with them, the comeback simply out of attain.
Playing in opposition to a proficient, assured, fluid Bayern staff, Madrid spent the first hour trying fairly strange. The guests had been superior, greater than the sport’s scoreline steered. But because the second half went on, the dynamic slowly however absolutely modified. Madrid started to create a gentle stream of probabilities, Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé getting ever nearer.
When Mbappé did, ultimately, pull a aim again within the 74th minute, the Bernabéu crowd, cautiously hopeful, discovered their voices, as Madrid pushed for extra. But the equalizer by no means materialized, thanks largely to Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and his excellent 9 saves.
By the ultimate whistle, each groups had had 20 photographs, creating comparable numbers of probabilities (15-14 in Madrid’s favor, with three of Madrid’s classed by Opta as “big chances” in contrast with Bayern’s two), though Bayern’s xG (anticipated objectives) of two.99 comfortably outstripped Madrid’s 1.97.
A one-goal margin means the tie is open because the groups head to Munich for subsequent week’s return leg. “We’re alive,” coach Álvaro Arbeloa repeated a number of instances postmatch.
“We could have scored more,” Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin mentioned afterward. “The team reacted well. Neuer was the MVP.”
Antonio Rüdiger agreed: “The best player was Neuer.”
Still, the sensation for a lot of this sport was that Arbeloa’s staff had discovered its stage, its few strengths, and extra weaknesses, uncovered within the Champions League highlight, in opposition to elite opposition.
Vincent Kompany’s Bayern dominated from the beginning, with two nice probabilities to attain: one from Dayot Upamecano, whose miss-hit, close-range shot was cleared off the road by Álvaro Carreras, and one other from Serge Gnabry, who could not benefit from Thiago Pitarch‘s misplaced cross, which left him in on aim dealing with Lunin. Eventually, they went forward by means of Luis Díaz, ending off a cleverly labored transfer involving Harry Kane and Gnabry, within the forty first minute.
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Kane’s aim to make it 0-2, simply 20 seconds into the second half, made the comeback really feel much more distant. Arbeloa’s halftime staff speak should absolutely have concerned Madrid beginning aggressively, with depth, taking the sport to Bayern.
Instead, they had been alarmingly passive: Vinícius performed a poor cross to Carreras, below strain, who gave away possession cheaply. As Vinícius and Mbappé jogged again towards their very own aim, Bayern labored the ball as much as Kane, completely unattended outdoors the field, to stroke the ball previous Lunin.
“We made two mistakes [for the goals],” Arbeloa mentioned. “We lost the ball twice. We have to avoid that. Against these teams if you make mistakes, you pay for it.”
It was within the final half-hour that Madrid had been at their most harmful, Bayern tiring of their press, as the house facet loved more room to run into.
Three good probabilities got here in seven minutes, simply after the hour. First, Vinícius, performed in by Upamecano’s weak header, tried to spherical Neuer, was pressured extensive and was unable to get his shot again heading in the right direction. Then Mbappé went shut twice, denied as soon as by Neuer, earlier than capturing throughout the face of aim shortly afterward. Mbappé saved going.
“That’s the Mbappé we want to see,” Arbeloa mentioned. “He was a constant threat.”
More risk got here when Trent Alexander-Arnold acquired on the ball. His deliveries from the suitable had appeared like one in every of Madrid’s most promising routes towards aim all evening, and now he crossed for Mbappé, whose far-post shot crept over the road after being initially saved by Neuer.
As Madrid pushed for a second aim, there was hazard, too, on the different finish. Three instances within the final minutes of the sport, Bayern might have completed off the tie. Substitute Éder Militão — who improved Madrid considerably when he was launched — blocked a cross sure for the six-yard field, earlier than Bayern went shut twice extra, within the 89th and 91st minutes, losing one three-on-one break.
Madrid’s process for the second leg in Munich subsequent week shall be made more durable by the absence of their most constant participant this season, Aurélien Tchouaméni, who shall be suspended and has no pure substitute in midfield.
They should be daring, and play on the entrance foot, an method alien to a staff that has been extra snug with a extra conservative, deep block type.
“If any team can win in Munich, it’s Real Madrid,” Arbeloa insisted in his postmatch information convention. They would possibly.
Madrid might nonetheless produce one thing extraordinary and surprising in Germany, as they have earlier than. In Vinicius, Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde, they have the gamers who make it doable.
But even with a much-improved final half-hour right here, what they did on the Bernabéu wasn’t ample. They’ll must do extra in Munich, and in reaching for that, can even be extra susceptible.
