In what was a clash of European royalty, Real Madrid took on Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League semifinals on Tuesday. After a thrilling victory against Manchester City, Real Madrid faced the German giants who got a narrow win against Arsenal in the quarterfinals. In a game of 90 minutes full of end-to-end action, both teams shared the spoils as the match ended 2-2.
Despite Bayern Munich dominating their Spanish opponents from the very first onset, it was Real Madrid who broke the deadlock first. Toni Kroos’ defense-splitting pass left Vinicius Jr. through on goal as the Brazilian made no mistake. Leroy Sane equalized for Bayern Munich with an emphatic shot that blazed past Andriy Lunin into the goal.
Vinicius Jr. showed his respect to Toni Kroos with bowing down to him after 𝑻𝑯𝑨𝑻 assist 🤝🤍 pic.twitter.com/EZiJj9fQb6
— 433 (@433) May 1, 2024
Bayern forward Harry Kane continued his impressive form in the Champions League as he scored from the spot after Jamal Musiala was fouled inside the box. However, the lead didn’t last long as Vinicius Jr. scored a penalty in the 83rd minute to level the game. After the match, however, Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel appeared visibly frustrated and blasted defender Kim Min-jae.
Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae was directly responsible for both of Real Madrid’s goals. During the first goal, Min-jae was caught out of position which allowed Vinicius to make an unmarked run. For the second goal, Min-jae brought down Rodrygo inside the box with Vinicius scoring from the spot. Tuchel blasted the South Korean international and said (via Fabrizio Romano), “He was too ‘greedy’ twice.”
🔴 Tuchel on Kim’s performance: “He was too ‘greedy’ twice”.
“He made the first move too early against Vinicius in the first goal and got caught by Toni Kroos’ pass. He speculated and was too aggressive. In the second goal, unfortunately it was another mistake”. pic.twitter.com/lbCG9Q4eQ7
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 1, 2024
“There was no need to defend that aggressively against Rodrygo. Unfortunately with their quality, these mistakes get punished.” Tuchel‘s frustration makes sense as Bayern could have headed into the second leg at Real Madrid’s home with an advantage had Min-jae not given away the penalty. Nevertheless, the two sides will have it all to play for in the second leg to book their tickets to London for the final.
Bayern Munich skipper comes to Kim Min-jae’s aid after Thomas Tuchel’s rant
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer rushed to defend Kim Min-jae following the latter’s dismal performance against Real Madrid. Neuer, who made some big saves against Madrid, refused to put down his teammate in the post-match interview. He said, “We spoke about it in the dressing room. Mistakes happen, it’s part of football.”
Manuel Neuer defends Kim Min-jae: “We spoke about it in the dressing room. Mistakes happen, it’s part of football. It doesn’t mean he’ll perform badly in the next games. It wasn’t all bad today either – he played very well in parts today. But in some crucial moments, he perhaps… pic.twitter.com/liXj13a3jC
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) April 30, 2024
In addition to this, the German international further admitted that while Min-jae made two unfortunate mistakes, his overall performance was rather good. Neuer’s words would come as a great comfort to Min-jae, especially after Thomas Tuchel’s rant. However, it doesn’t look as if Min-jae would get an opportunity to make up for his mistakes in the second leg with Matthijs de Ligt likely to replace him for the return fixture.
Harry Kane sets sight on a major milestone after scoring against Real Madrid
Harry Kane has undoubtedly been one of the best signings of this season so far as the former Tottenham star was on the scoresheet for Bayern Munich yet again. Kane, who completed a $127 million move to Germany last year, has proved himself worthy of every penny as he scored his 43rd goal of the season against Real Madrid. Kane also became the first English player to register 11 goal contributions in a single UCL season.
With his goal against Real Madrid, the English skipper is now leading the goalscoring charts alongside Kylian Mbappe in the UCL with eight goals. Kane has also provided three assists in the competition so far. The Bayern star could win the Champions League top scorer award provided how he performs in the return leg against Real Madrid.