Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich (agg 2-2) – Champions League semi-final: Live score, team news and update as Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane go head-to-head for a place in the final against Dortmund at Wembley
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Paul Scholes: Bellingham’s ‘got a big job tonight’
Paul Scholes, two-time Champions League winner, speaking about Jude Bellingham on TNT Sports:
Going from Dortmund to Madrid at 20 years of age. “It’s gonna take him a little time” – it probably takes the best players until they’re 25, 26, 27 – but he’s doing it now.
I keep waiting for him to drop off but it’s not happening. He’s got a big job tonight but you wouldn’t be surprised if he has a big influence on the game.
Groovy atmosphere in the Bernabeu
The music inside the Bernabeu has me grooving behind my desk.
Normally we are used to motivational tracks in the warm-ups to get teams motivated, but Real Madrid are already motivated enough.
I hope they continue with these tracks, I’m really enjoying them. I bet the players are too, although, they are probably too focused to think about it.
Thomas Tuchel: ‘It would mean a lot to go to Wembley’
Thomas Tuchel, Bayern boss, speaking to TNT Sports:
It’s our last chance to win a title. This competition is a beautiful competition, it’s the most difficult. It would mean a lot (to go to Wembley). We are not here to enjoy this, we are here to play Wembley.
Bayern fans in full voice
Wow, just listen to that.
This video was taken by Mail Sport’s Football Editor, Ian Ladyman, while the players were checking out the pitch.
The away end may not be full yet, but it certainly sounds like it is.
Can Bayern win a trophy?
At the start of the season, this was never a question I thought I’d have to write.
Bayern Munich have had a tumultuous season, relinquishing their stranglehold on the Bundesliga to Xabi Alonso’s unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen.
They also got knocked out of the DFB Pokal and lost the German Supercup. They could go trophyless.
The Champions League is their last chance though, they are just 90 minutes from a place in the final.
Can they do it? Harry Kane will be desperate for them to.
Steve McManaman: Real Madrid ‘find a way’
Steve McManaman, two-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, on TNT Sports:
Sometimes you feel the opposition are better than them (Real Madrid), yet they find a way to win the game. That’s the magic of it.
Tuchel 90 minutes from history
I knew Thomas Tuchel was good, but wow, this would be some feat.
If Bayern Munich win tonight and in turn make the final, Thomas Tuchel will become the first coach to make the final with three different clubs.
Tuchel’s first final was with PSG in 2020, which they lost to… you guessed it, Bayern. A year later he reached the final once again, but this time with Chelsea, and unlike the year before, he reigned victorious.
Time for lucky number three?
‘Bayern’s best chance is to edge high-scoring affair’
Ian Ladyman, Mail Sport Football Editor, at the Bernabeu:
The roof is closed at the Bernabeu once again. Real believe it helps their supporters to create a better atmosphere but if the scenes outside as the team bus arrived are indicative of anything then they really won’t need any assistance.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team have lost once all season and that’s the size of the task for Bayern here. I don’t see the German side winning a tight game. Their best chance is to edge a high-scoring affair…or maybe I am just being hopeful.
Kane seeking record
Harry Kane is having his best season to date, and it could get even better tonight.
Kane has netted 29 goals in the Champions League during his career, and if he scores tonight he will equal the record as the all-time top English scorer in the competition, which is currently held by Wayne Rooney.
He will also be the outright top scorer in the competition. Incredible.
Bayern Munich Team News – THREE changes
Thomas Tuchel has made three changes from last week.
Matthijs de Ligt comes into the centre of defence, replacing Kim Min-Jae, who struggled in the first leg.
Serge Gnabry and Aleksandar Pavlovic also come in, while Leon Goretzka and Thomas Muller drop to the bench.
Real Madrid Team News – Carvajal RETURNS
Real Madrid make just one change from the first leg.
Dani Carvajal, who missed the 2-2 draw in Munich due to suspension, returns to start at right-back instead of Lucas Vazquez.
Jude Bellingham once again starts at the attacking point of Madrid’s midfield diamond.
The teams are in town
I’m really getting excited now, aren’t you?
Both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have arrived at the Bernabeu red to do battle.
I must say, the Bayern players look very relaxed while Madrid’s squad look a little more serious.
Anyway, we will bring you the starting 11s in the next few minutes.
Painting the Bernabeu red
We are still 70 minutes from kick-off, and the Bayern fans have already made their way inside the Bernabeu.
They are not being quiet either, they are more than up for this one. The songs are flowing.
If they carry on in this vein, they won’t be able to talk by the end of the night.
What’s at stake…
Wow, what a gorgeous trophy.
Whenever I see photos of the Champions League trophy, I always think about how long it takes for them to polish it. It’s spotless.
Anyway, this is what it’s all about. Both teams are potentially 180 minutes from getting their hands on ‘big ears’.
This ramps the pressure up, doesn’t it?
Bernabeu roof closed
The decision has been made to close the roof of the Bernabeu for tonight’s semi-final, just like it was in the quarter-final against Manchester City.
That match proved why they do it. By closing the roof it holds in the sound, making for a more hostile atmosphere.
It’s going to be extremely loud!
Are we back in 2013?
2013, one of those years that, in my opinion, is neither memorable nor forgettable.
I say ‘in my opinion’ because it was certainly memorable for both Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
It was the year they faced off at Wembley in the Champions League final, which could possibly be happening again in just under a month. Well, that all comes down to tonight and if Bayern can get the job done.
I feel like I’ve been thrust back 11 years. Next, I’ll be wearing skinny jeans and will have shrunk back down to 5 feet tall. Yes, that’s how tall I was, I mean, I was 13…
Big Game Vini
Vinicius Jr, what a player!
The Brazilian winger always turns up when Real Madrid need him most, and these semi-final statistics just prove that.
Don’t forget, his goal against Liverpool in the 2022 final won them their 14th Champions League.
He is the definition of a big game player.
Good omens for Los Blancos
Bayern Munich fans, you might want to look away.
Most of the pre-match statistics are very favourable for Real Madrid. If you believe in omens, it’s set to be a delightful night for the newly crowned Spanish champions.
Madrid are unbeaten in their last eight Champions League meetings with Bayern Munich, winning six. They have also won six of their last seven home games against them.
In Bayern’s last 16 Champions League matches against Los Blancos, they have not kept a single clean sheet. It’s the German side’s longest run without a shutout against any club in the competition.
I always say though, stats are there to be broken.
Bayern fans turn up in droves
The Bayern Munich fans have arrived in Madrid in their numbers, and they all look very uniformed.
The sun is out too in the Spanish capital, it’s a glorious day for it.
Bellingham vs Kane: Part II
While there are no English teams left in the Champions League, there are still England internationals left in it.
Jadon Sancho has already booked his spot in the final, but which of his countrymen will he face, Jude Bellingham or Harry Kane.
The England captain performed better in the first leg, scoring from the spot, despite Bellingham trying to put him off in the build-up to it.
That moment proved that no friendship can get in the way of gunning for Champions League glory. All niceties will be left behind once again when play starts at 8pm.
Which Englishman will end up on the plane back to their homeland?
Thomas Tuchel: ‘Not impossible’ to win at Bernabeu
Thomas Tuchel, Bayern Munich boss, speaking on Tuesday:
(The Bernabeu) is one of the most difficult stadiums to win in, but it’s not impossible. We had a very good first leg, we were better than them but, unfortunately, we didn’t win. Given that they’re at home, it’s maybe a 51% advantage for Real Madrid. They’re obviously one of the biggest clubs in the world. But we’re also a big club in Europe. That’s why it’s a great matchup.
Carlo Ancelotti: ‘It could be a magical night’
Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid manager, speaking on Tuesday:
It is a great motivation to live such a day. To live today is amazing. We have to enjoy it, tomorrow (match day) we will be worried. They (Bayern) have a great tradition in the Champions League and we need to respect a rival.
They have done better than us in the first leg. On our defensive level, we could have done much better. We are very excited because we have a great opportunity to get to another final. It could be a magical night for our fans.
First Leg: Bayern Munich 2-2 Real Madrid
Where does the time go, I can’t believe it has been eight days already.
We were provided with a belter in the first leg. It was a match that swung one way and then the other with both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid throwing the kitchen sink at each other.
Vinicius Jr was once again on the money for Madrid, opening the scoring midway through the first half, and in turn, silencing the Allianz Arena.
That soon changed though as the German outfit came out all guns blazing in the second half and overturned Real Madrid’s lead within 12 minutes of the restart through Leroy Sane and Harry Kane.
The Bavarians looked set to take a first-leg lead to Germany, but as they always do, the 14-time winners had the final say. Vinicius Jr secured his brace from the spot to level it up.
If we get anything like we saw last week, we are in for a treat.
About last night…
Well, firstly, I imagine there are a few sore heads in the Borussia Dortmund camp this morning, what a night it was for them.
The German side were exceptional last night in Paris as they ended Kylian Mbappe’s dreams of signing off from PSG with a Champions League trophy.
Dortmund defended for their lives but rode their luck too, and Mats Hummels’ second-half header means they will take to the Wembley turf once again in a Champions League final.
Let’s be honest, nobody expected to see the Bundesliga side in the final. Most people thought they wouldn’t even make it out of the group stage.
Well, they have defied the odds, and it’s fully deserved. The question is though, who will they be facing?
Wembley awaits the winner
Nights don’t get much bigger than this.
After an incredible first leg in Munich, the tie is perfectly poised. The two sides really put on a show for us last week.
In a way though, it’s like we have a clean slate. Now that away goals don’t exist, we can forget the first leg result. It’s going to be a straight shootout for a place in the final.
Real Madrid surely have the advantage. They are coming into the game off the back of securing their 36th La Liga title at the weekend, while they will also have the backing of a home crowd. Los Blancos also just carry the aura that they cannot be beaten, don’t they?
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich lost once again at the weekend, as their nightmare domestic campaign is nearly over.
However, Bayern have been a different prospect in the Champions League. You certainly can’t count them out of this one.
Whatever happens, this one is going to be a cracker.
All on the line in Madrid!
What is it that ABBA song again? ‘The winner takes it all’…
Well, the song certainly rings true tonight. The stakes don’t get much higher, as shown at the Parc des Princes last night by the outpour of emotion.
Both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have been here before, they know what it takes, but one of them must lose.
So, which team will line up in the tunnel at Wembley against Borussia Dortmund on June 1?
Are we set for a repeat of the 2013 final, or will Los Blancos secure a spot in the final for the 18th time in their history? We will know in four hours.
Get yourselves comfy, it’s going to be one hell of a night.