There was no shortage of controversial refereeing decisions, as was very much anticipated, but Bayern Munich churned out a 4-3 win over Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, winning 6-4 on overall aggregate having won the first leg 2-1 in Madrid. Bayern will now head to the semifinals to take on Paris Saint-Germain, who knocked out Liverpool in their own tie to progress to the semis.
The 4-3 win was an all-over-the-place affair, which the tone was set with Arda Güler
capitalizing on a Manuel Neuer mistake within the first minute then Aleksandar Pavlović headed home from a Joshua Kimmich corner kick just moments later. Real Madrid were controversially awarded a free kick in the the 29th minute when Konrad Laimer was judged to have brought down Brahim Diaz, resulting in Güler’s goal. More drama ensued when both Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé scored before halftime, but it was Bayern that struck twice late in the second half through Luis Díaz and Michael Olise after Eduardo Camavinga was been sent off for his second yellow card.
On the overall balance from both legs, despite a spirited effort from Real Madrid and being consistently dangerous on the counterattack, you’d be hard pressed to find a professional opinion saying Bayern weren’t the better, more deserving side to go through to the semifinals.
After the final whistle, Joshua Kimmich expressed his opinion that the two best teams in Europe are now set to go head-to-head in the semifinals of the Champions League. “The two best teams in Europe will face each other. We had many top level games against Paris in recent years. I’m looking forward to it,” Bayern’s number 6 told DAZN (via @iMiaSanMia).
It will be a rematch of the 2020 Champions League final in Lisbon, Portugal for Bayern and PSG, continuing a rich recent history of clashes against one another. On the overall balance, Bayern have won nine matches and PSG have won six from all the times they’ve squared off, but the two semifinal legs promise to live up to the billing with the evidence on display from both sides in the competition this season. Bayern could have the Bundesliga title wrapped up before the tie takes place, while PSG still have a bit of a title race to settle vs. Lens in Ligue 1.
