Bayern Munich 2-2 Real Madrid: Player ratings as late Vinicius penalty sees spoils shared in semi-final first leg
A late penalty from Vinicius Junior saw Real Madrid snatch a 2-2 draw away to Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final.
The Brazilian opened the scoring with the only goal of the first half but was needed against late on after strikes from Leroy Sane and Harry Kane turned the game around shortly after the restart.
The draw means both sides head to the Santiago Bernabeu next Wednesday for a winner-takes-all fight for a spot in the Champions League final.
How the game unfolded
Sane found himself through on goal inside the first few seconds, with his effort drawing a quick save out of Andriy Lunin, who also needed to keep out a snap shot from Harry Kane as Bayern made a strong start to proceedings.
Sane and Jamal Musiala both struck over the bar, but Madrid snatched the lead against the run of play 24 minutes in in typical fashion. A through-ball from Toni Kroos sent Vinicius in behind Bayern’s defence and the Brazilian made no mistake when one-on-one with Manuel Neuer.
That was Madrid’s only shot before a late free-kick from Rodrygo was deflected wide. Bayern continued to pose the biggest threat on goal, but they didn’t ask many more questions of Lunin’s backline, who looked increasingly comfortable sitting back and frustrating their hosts.
Kroos curled an effort in on Neuer’s goal early in the second half, requiring a strong hand from the Bayern stopper, and it proved to be a pivotal moment as Bayern went down the other end and equalised.
Sane, who had endured a tricky first half, fizzed a ferocious strike into Lunin’s bottom corner which flew off his foot like a rocket.
Two minutes later and Bayern were handed the chance to take the lead when Jamal Musiala was tripped by Lucas Vazquez, and up stepped Kane to roll the ball into the back of the net.
Eric Dier had the chance to add a third from a corner shortly after the hour mark, before Neuer had to push back a strike from Vinicius as Madrid desperately sought a way back into the tie.
With nine minutes remaining, Madrid were awarded a penalty of their own when Rodrygo was dragged down by Kim, and Vinicius made no mistake to tie things up in the late stages and set up a fascinating second leg.
Bayern Munich player ratings (4-2-3-1)
Kane scored from the spot / James Gill – Danehouse/GettyImages
GK: Manuel Neuer – 6/10 – The Neuer of old would have probably come out to stop Vinicius’ run through on goal, but not many goalkeepers would be able to beat the Brazilian for speed.
RB: Joshua Kimmich – 6/10 – Didn’t get a whole lot wrong but definitely doesn’t impact the game as much in this position.
CB: Kim Min-jae – 4/10 – Drawn out of position for Vinicius’ opener and found himself struggling to keep up with the Brazil international at times. Dragged Rodrygo to the ground for the penalty.
CB: Eric Dier – 6/10 – Likewise, perhaps could have made a better decision for the opener but was largely solid aside from that.
LB: Noussair Mazraoui – 6/10 – Didn’t offer enough going forwards but came into his own in the second half when Bayern were happier to focus on defending.
DM: Konrad Laimer – 8/10 – Really impressive at the base of Bayern’s midfield. Pressed with immense energy and usually came out on top.
DM: Leon Goretzka – 5/10 – Not strong enough in possession. Bayern needed more creativity from him.
RM: Jamal Musiala – 7/10 – Struggled for space in the first half but pulled out some impressive footwork to win the penalty.
AM: Thomas Muller – 6/10 – Tried to find space but Madrid’s deep defence left him struggling to get involved.
LM: Leroy Sane – 7/10 – A sloppy first half but an absolute monster of a finish to tie things up after the break.
ST: Harry Kane – 7/10 – Dropped deep to get involved and was a real problem for Madrid’s backline. Took his penalty well.
Substitutes
SUB: Raphael Guerreiro (46′ for Goretzka) – 7/10
SUB: Serge Gnabry (80′ for Muller) – N/A
SUB: Alphonso Davies (87′ for Sane) – N/A
Subs not used: Daniel Peretz (GK), Sven Ulreich (GK), Dayot Upamecano, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Bryan Zaragoza, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Mathys Tel.
Manager
Thomas Tuchel – 8/10 – Bayern were the better side in the first half and then finally got their rewards after the break following a smart decision to change his wingers. Let down by a handful of sloppy decisions from his players.
Real Madrid player ratings (4-2-3-1)
Kroos grabbed a great assist / Pedro Salado/GettyImages
GK: Andriy Lunin – 5/10 – Will be frustrated to have been beaten at his near post for Sane’s equaliser.
RB: Lucas Vazquez – 4/10 – Sane slipped in behind him a little too often early on and Vazquez’s night got even worse when he felled Musiala for the penalty.
CB: Antonio Rudiger – 5/10 – Had a pretty solid game when it came to his individual battle with Kane but couldn’t calm the Bayern barrage early in the second half.
CB: Nacho Fernandez – 5/10 – Tried something new as he stepped forward into midfield at times, but usually ended up getting caught out of position.
LB: Ferland Mendy – 5/10 – Defended well in the first half against Musiala but was faced up against Sane after the break and couldn’t cope with his speed.
DM: Aurelien Tchouameni – 6/10 – Dropped back into defence after the second Bayern goal to try bring some calm to the team.
DM: Toni Kroos – 7/10 – A sensational pass to pick Bayern apart for the opener. Struggled with the pace of the second half but still had some nice moments on the ball.
RM: Federico Valverde – 5/10 – Happily defended in the first half but found it hard to adjust to the attacking side of the game when Madrid fell behind.
AM: Jude Bellingham – 5/10 – Bayern suffocated Bellingham whenever he got towards the box. Hooked with 15 minutes to go as Ancelotti clearly felt Madrid had a better chance of winning without him.
LM: Rodrygo – 5/10 – Buzzed around without ever really looking like causing any significant problems for Bayern’s full-backs before winning the penalty.
ST: Vinicius Junior – 8/10 – Took both his goals well in a performance which was largely full of battles to try and actually find space on the field. Needed to be patient and got his rewards.
Substitutes
SUB: Eduardo Camavinga (65′ for Nacho) – 6/10
SUB: Luka Modric (76′ for Bellingham) – 7/10
SUB: Brahim Diaz (76′ for Kroos) – 6/10
SUB: Joselu (87′ for Rodrygo) – N/A
Subs not used: Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Thibaut Courtois (GK), Fran Garcia, Eder Militao, Arda Guler, Dani Ceballos.
Manager
Carlo Ancelotti – 5/10 – Tried to rely on Madrid’s aura in the first half but looked totally flustered when Bayern took their game to the next level.
Player of the match – Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)
Source: 90mins
