Real Madrid wrote another famous chapter into their unrivalled Champions League history with a trademark late turnaround to beat Bayern Munich in a dramatic semi-final second leg at the Bernabeu this evening.
Thomas Tuchel's side were on course to set up an all-German final at Wembley after Alphonso Davies had given them the lead on the night 22 minutes from time, making it 3-2 on aggregate to the Bavarians.
That advantage lasted until the 88th minute, when Manuel Neuer spilled the ball at the feet of Joselu, who punished the veteran goalkeeper to level things up and seemingly send the tie into extra time.
However, the Espanyol loanee and former Stoke City and Newcastle United man sent the Bernabeu into bedlam once again just three minutes later by tucking home an Antonio Rudiger cross - a goal that was initially ruled out for offside, but then given on review to complete one of the most remarkable turnarounds in Champions League history.
Real Madrid had to hang on for a whopping 15 minutes of injury time, and there was one more moment of drama when Bayern had the ball in the back of the net again, but only after the linesman had raised his flag and the referee had blown for offside - although the replays showed that it was a tight decision and the flag should have stayed down.
The hosts then safely saw out the win to book their place in the Wembley showpiece against Borussia Dortmund on June 1, reaching a record-extending 18th Champions League final.
HIGHLIGHTS
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13th min: Real Madrid are inches away from breaking the deadlock! Vinicius Junior drills a low strike towards goal from a tight angle which Manuel Neuer just manages to tip onto the inside of the post. The danger is not over yet as the ball rebounds straight to Rodrygo, but Neuer makes himself big to thwart the follow-up from point-blank range!
β‘οΈ A quick throw-in while the ball is in play
β Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 8, 2024
π― Vinicius Jr hitting the post
𧀠Neuer saves the rebound
ππππππ few moments at the Bernabeu! π°
πΊ @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/eSAe06o3tb
29th min: Stunning strike from Kane as he catches a volley beautifully from the edge of the box, sending it swerving towards the bottom corner. Andrey Lunin gets down well to tip it wide, but that was a lovely effort from the England man.
40th min: Neuer comes to Bayern's rescue again! Vinicius whips a vicious low cross into the box from the left flank and, while no Madrid player can get on the end of it, it looks like it will sneak into the bottom corner until Neuer flicks it around the post.
44th min: Mazraoui tries his luck from range late in the first half with a good curling effort, but Lunin gets across well and makes a fairly straightforward stop.
HALF TIME: REAL MADRID 0-0 BAYERN MUNICH (2-2 ON AGGREGATE)
47th min: Almost a dream start to the second half for Bayern as Alphonso Davies sees a shot deflect off Dani Carvajal and over Lunin, only to land on the roof of the net.
54th min: Harry Kane gets a relatively rare sight on goal in this tie, trying his luck at the near post from a tight angle, but Lunin is down comfortably to save.
55th min: Vinicius has had the Bayern defenders on toast in this second half, and while they have survived so far, this time they are agonisingly close to being punished. The Brazilian has three men on him but still manages to squeeze a pass across to Rodrygo, whose poke towards goal trickles just wide!
59th min: Rodrygo fires a strike towards goal which Neuer does well to push away.
60th min: Brilliant from Vinicius again, but once more Neuer is a match for him - he is the only Bayern man who can stop the Brazilian at the moment! This time Vinicius cuts inside and lets fly with a powerful strike which Neuer does well to push away.
66th min: An increasingly rare foray into the Madrid box for Bayern as Jamal Musiala creates space to have a shot, but this time it is Lunin who stands up to it and pushes the ball behind for a corner.
68th min: GOAL! REAL MADRID 0-1 BAYERN MUNICH (ALPHONSO DAVIES)
ALPHONSO DAVIES ππ
β Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 8, 2024
What a way to score his π ππππ-ππππ #UCL goal! π€―
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Wow! Out of nowhere, Bayern have the lead, and it is a brilliant goal from Alphonso Davies too! The pacey wide man is only on due to an injury to Serge Gnabry in the first half, and he has been heavily linked with a move to Madrid this summer, but he is making the most of his remaining time in a Bayern shirt!
The Canadian collects Kane's pass before cutting inside and firing a brilliant strike into the far corner - what a time to get your first Champions League goal!
70th min: Real Madrid think they have an immediate equaliser as Nacho helps Federico Valverde's ball on and sees it hit Matthijs De Ligt and go in. The referee does not give a foul on the pitch, but the Bayern players are incensed due to what they feel is a foul on Joshua Kimmich. The replays show that Nacho did raise his hands to the German's face, and after a quick look at the pitchside monitor, the referee chalks it off.
Real Madrid have the ball in the back of the net...
β Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 8, 2024
but VAR intervenes due to a collision between Nacho and Kimmich! β pic.twitter.com/TEL97qGkSz
83rd min: Difficult chance for Vinicius, but a chance nonetheless as Antonio Rudiger's delivery into the area finds the Brazilian the wrong side of the defence, but he skews his half-volley high and wide.
88th min: GOAL! REAL MADRID 1-1 BAYERN MUNICH (JOSELU)
JOSELU IS MADRID'S HERO! π€©
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A rare mistake from Manuel Neuer π¬
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Oh my word - late drama again for Real Madrid! Neuer has had a blinder today, but he has just dropped a clanger at the worst possible time!
Vinicius tries his luck from outside the box and it should be a fairly simple one for Neuer to gather, but he spills it inside his own six-yard box and Joselu is sharpest off the mark to tuck home the rebound!
90+2 min: GOAL! REAL MADRID 2-1 BAYERN MUNICH (JOSELU)
THE SCENESSSS! π€―
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Joselu comes off the bench to turn the game around β½οΈβ½οΈ
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Unbelievable scenes inside the Bernabeu! Joselu - a flop at the likes of Stoke City and Newcastle United - has scored twice in a matter of minutes to surely fire Real Madrid into the final!
Rudiger fires the ball across the face of goal, where Joselu again showcases his poacher's ability to tuck home. The celebrations are immediately halted by the linesman's flag, but it is checked by the automated offside system and he is in fact on!
The Madrid fans go wild in the stands and the bench pours onto the pitch in celebration. Incredible!
FULL TIME: REAL MADRID 2-1 BAYERN MUNICH (4-3 ON AGGREGATE)
MAN OF THE MATCH - JOSELU
Β© Reuters
This award was firmly in the hands of Manuel Neuer until the 88th minute, when he fumbled it along with the ball to gift Madrid a route back into the tie.
Instead, it goes to the unlikely figure of Stoke City and Newcastle United flop Joselu - a player who only came on in the 81st minute and only had a handful of touches during his time on the pitch.
Crucially, though, two of those touches provided the goals which sent Madrid into a record-extending 18th Champions League final, with the Espanyol loanee showing brilliant striker's instincts on both occasions.
The first saw him follow in on Vinicius's shot and pounce on Neuer's error, before holding the line and tucking home Rudiger's cross moments later to send the Bernabeu into bedlam.
It is not often such a late sub wins man of the match, but Joselu's impact tonight simply could not be ignored.
STANDOUT MOMENT
Β© Reuters
It could only be the winner.
The Bernabeu has seen about as many great moments as any stadium in European football, but rarely would it have ever been louder than when Joselu's second was confirmed by the referee after initially being ruled out.
The goal came just moments after the same player equalised and, exactly five years on from Tottenham Hotspur producing a stunning stoppage-time turnaround against Ajax at the same stage of the competition, this was a goal that will rank alongside it.
The Champions League always seems to provide incredible moments year after year, and Joselu's winner is one that will instantly go down in the competition's folklore.
For Bayern, it will no doubt evoke terrible memories of the 1999 final as they suffered a similarly late quickfire collapse.
BEST STATS
54 - Joselu has the best minutes per goal ratio (one goal every 54 minutes) of any player to play at least 100 minutes in the UEFA Champions League this season. Clutch. https://t.co/MbnunlE6Rd
β OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 8, 2024
18 - At Wembley, Real Madrid will play their 18th Champions League final, at least seven more than any other team (11 for AC Milan and Bayern MΓΌnchen). Habit. pic.twitter.com/tv2D5E0vwE
β OptaJean (@OptaJean) May 8, 2024
6 - Carlo Ancelotti has reached his 6th @ChampionsLeague final as a manager - at least two more than any other coach in the competition. Leader.#UCL #RealBayern @realmadrid pic.twitter.com/9IARmZwzbr
β OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) May 8, 2024
4 - Real Madrid have won four matches despite conceding the first goal in the UEFA Champions League this season, the most by a side in a single campaign since Real Madrid in 2016-17 (5) when they went on to lift the trophy. Mentality. pic.twitter.com/CHiosJBZ6I
β OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 8, 2024
2 - @JoseluMato9 πͺπΈ (34 years, 42 days) has become the oldest substitute player to score a brace in a knockout game in @ChampionsLeague. BernabΓ©u. pic.twitter.com/nUfCJzoZhJ
β OptaJose (@OptaJose) May 8, 2024
π₯ - Alphonso Daviesπ¨π¦ is the 1β£st player representing Canada to score a goal in the Champions League knockout phase. #RMAFCB #ChampionsLeague
β Gracenote Live (@GracenoteLive) May 8, 2024
π - Most @ChampionsLeague appearances for a single team
β Gracenote Live (@GracenoteLive) May 8, 2024
1β£5β£1β£ - Xavi for FC Barcelona
1β£5β£1β£ - Thomas MΓΌller for FC Bayern (+1)
1β£5β£0β£ - Iker Casillas for Real Madrid#RMAFCB #ChampionsLeague
MATCH STATS
Possession: Real Madrid 57%-43% Bayern Munich
Shots: Real Madrid 19-8 Bayern Munich
Shots on target: Real Madrid 7-5 Bayern Munich
Corners: Real Madrid 8-4 Bayern Munich
Fouls: Real Madrid 12-10 Bayern Munich
LINEUPS
REAL MADRID (4-2-3-1): Lunin; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy; Tchouameni (Camavinga 69'), Kroos (Modric 69'); Valverde (Joselu 81'), Bellingham (Militao 90+10'), Rodrygo (Diaz 81'); Vinicius
BAYERN MUNICH (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Kimmich, De Ligt, Dier, Mazraoui; Laimer, Pavlovic; Sane (Kim 76'), Musiala (Muller 85'), Gnabry (Davies 27'); Kane (Choupo-Moting 84')
Barney Corkhill
