Real Madrid – Bayern Munich: Joselu’s Homage To Heritage (2-1)
The global renown of Real is so great that one can only opt to honor its grandeur. Once more, an elite opponent would fall at the seams at the Santiago Bernabéu in the big moments while an unlikely hero showed off his understanding of what it means to put on the iconic white shirt.
Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.
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Bayern’s Bundesliga hegemony has crumbled at long last. Not only have Bayer Leverkusen lifted the shield for the first time in their history, but also Stuttgart sit two points below the Bavarians following a 3-1 win on the weekend. Nonetheless, the terrain of Thomas Tuchel is still the European front. From the buildup diamond at home to Lazio to the set defense that stood the test of time against Arsenal, he has turned to new plans to stifle the strength of each opponent. But is that possible in this fixture?
Real Madrid managed a record breaking 36th LaLiga title with a three goal triumph over Cádiz. The greater goal, however, is a second Champions League trophy in the last three years. On their way to this outing has been the feature of flexibility. The retort of revenge in the quarter-final required energy to hold off in a low block in a pair of draws with the holders Manchester City. Last week, moments mattered to unnerve Kim Min-jae. Above all, these killer blows bite from nowhere time and again.
Carlo Ancelotti asked almost all eleven men from the first leg to finish the bid for an 18th Champions League final for the club. His only alteration from last week was on the right of the back four. Dani Carvajal came in for Lucas Vázquez, who had given up a penalty. Antonio Rüdiger again sat at the heart of their rearguard next to Nacho while Ferland Mendy acted as the left back. Federico Valverde, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Toni Kroos, Rodrygo, Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham filled out the team.
Tuchel took three men out of the lineup he picked at the Allianz Arena. He had reprimanded reckless behavior from Min-jae, whom de Ligt replaced as the partner to mainstay Eric Dier in the middle of the defense. Konrad Laimer continued to act as an anchor at the base of the midfield. Leon Goretzka, however, dropped to the bench in place of Aleksandar Pavlović. Thomas Müller also lost his position in the starting eleven. Serge Gnabry earned a spot in the offense, and Jamal Musiala returned inside.
To the left, to the left
Ancelotti anticipated a higher share of the ball in this clash. Indeed, in the absence of Müller, the Bavarians did not press as aggressively as in the first leg. Their hosts kept 57% of the possession in the first 25 minutes. They played out from their 4-4-2 system. Kroos tipped deep as the first point of contact in the left halfspace to distribute passes. Ahead of him, Bellingham often overloaded the same side of the field, while the Brazilians were at will to drop off the last line and directly demand balls.
6th minute: offensive sequence from Real Madrid. Vinícius had dropped between the lines as an option to Kroos. De Ligt did not follow him aggressively, so Sané and Laimer covered, falling into the last line. Rodrygo realizes he can separate from de Ligt once he lays off the ball to Tchouaméni and as Pavlović engages the midfielder, Bellingham is free in the subsequent gap. He slips a pass to the strong side of Vinícius, and white shirts crash the penalty area to connect with Carvajal’s cross.
Carvajal pushed forward from the outside on the right wing. He was accessible with switches of play. Madrid have a habit of using runs to flatten opposition midfields inside the fullback, and this pattern unlocked the defense in the 13th minute. Vinícius peeled off the blindside of Pavlović, receiving a pass through Mazraoui’s legs. The shot slammed off the post, and Manuel Neuer repelled Rodrygo.
The 4-4-2 Bavarian block focused less on primary pressure on Kroos than the options he wished to access. Though Brazilian bravery in individual duels frustrated the fullbacks, the visitors did not face an onslaught on their goal. From time to time, they engineered a threat at the other end of the field.
Release the runners
Bellingham and Rodrygo had switched positions off the ball, so the two Brazilians were in the first line of engagement. Madrid still worked from a 4-4-2 formation off the ball. Tuchel tinkered to probe at weak points. Sané started on the right, where he did the damage in the second half, Gnabry could attack any room inside Carvajal with deep runs, Musiala motioned between the lines, able to ride pressure, and Pavlović was a more comfortable ball handler than Goretzka in the middle of the park.
A set pattern tapped into these traits. Sané’s width and a deep position from Laimer would leave the halfspace free for Kimmich to rotate behind Kroos. Pavlović’s passing would search for this space and the two wingers were able to attack gaps inside the fullbacks— where their threat lay in the opening stages of the first leg. Yet, the cleanliness of actions in these moments was absent to exploit openings. Moreover, Madrid could adapt to this pattern to collapse onto a flattened double pivot as time elapsed.
Not even half an hour had passed when Tuchel turned to the bench. Gnabry bowed out with an injury. Raphaël Guerreiro was not available, and Alphonso Davies filled in as the left winger. At this stage, the guests could gain space on the transition a bit better than before. No longer did they rely on shifts in possession to attack Carvajal. Davies’ phenomenal dynamism and eagerness to carry the ball at his feet was an additional danger. Nonetheless, the accuracy of action remained missing until the break.
32nd minute: offensive transition from Bayern Munich. Kane collects a loose ball following a blocked effort from Rodrygo. He carries to the left while Davies rolled outside the block with space on the wing. However, the pass was too close to Carvajal, who could intercept and stop the counterattack.
Substitutions signal shift in dynamic
From the start of the second half, Vinícius stayed wider. He had been able to drive with the ball inside Bayern’s block before the break but could now trouble Kimmich even more directly. Sané tired, and the right back could not relieve pressure forever. Rodrygo’s strike from Vinícius’ fizzed cutback in the 55th minute exemplified concerns of Tuchel’s troops at his weaponry. Nevertheless, the Bavarians battled on. And it was their emergency release valve that delivered a dagger to upset the apple cart.
In a transitional moment, Kane curled the ball out to the left flank, where Davies was free. The winger wandered inside on the dribble, driving at Rüdiger. He chopped inside the central defender and then whipped an effort to the far post with his weaker right foot. The ball flew beyond Andriy Lunin into the back of the net. He reserved his first goal in the Champions League goal for a critical moment.
Phonzy flying ✈️#UCL pic.twitter.com/1hk1SNWCr8
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 8, 2024
Ancelotti answered with fresh legs. Luka Modrić and Eduardo Camavinga swapped in for Kroos and Tchouaméni. Real responded in an instant with Nacho flicking the ball off de Ligt into the net from a corner. Moments before, he palmed Kimmich in the face, so VAR chalked off the equalizer. Joselu and Brahim Díaz doubled down on the offensive. Meanwhile, Tuchel tried to hold onto the lead.
Sané came off for Min-jae. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Müller then switched in for Kane and Musiala. This pair stayed at the front of a 5-3-2 block in which the Bavarians became passive. Modrić managed to put out the fire from a transition in the 85th minute, and Madrid’s momentum increased.
83rd minute: offensive sequence from Real Madrid. Modrić bounced the ball off Vinícius and switched sides to release Rüdiger. The central defender dribbles forward under no pressure. White shirts flood the penalty area: Joselu occupies de Ligt and Vinícius outruns Kimmich to connect to a deep delivery.
Joselu heroics
Cue chaos. Neuer bowled the ball towards Davies. However, the trajectory was short of his teammate. Modrić maneuvered the toss off his path before Carvajal knocked it into the path of the midfielder. Camavinga and Bellingham pushed passes to Vinícius, looking to go one on one with Kimmich. The talisman thrashed a strike at the goal that the goalkeeper scooped into his body from the floor. In this attempt to smother the shot, the ball bounced out of his control. Joselu gambled, burying the rebound.
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) May 8, 2024
The fumble fired up the bellies of the favorites. Seconds after the restart, Madrid managed to force a turnover, releasing Vinícius in the box. Neither did he slap away a snapshot, nor did Brahim break through Dier on the rebound. But the barriers burst from a corner. With his back to the goal, having twisted away from Min-jae, Nacho nudged a pass around the corner to Rüdiger. He flashed a delivery along the face of the six yard box and Joselu lurked at the far post to fire home from close range.
Militão entered the fray in the dying embers of injury time as reinforcement. It seemed another twist in the tale had arrived. Kimmich pumped a long ball to Mazraoui, Müller picked up the loose ball and de Ligt leathered a volley into the net. Tight margins ought to have meant the linesman did not raise his flag, incensing the Bavarian bench. There was no time remaining on the clock to rally again.
Tuchel on de Ligt's goal: "A disaster. An absolute disaster. With Real's second goal, they let the play continue. The clear rule is that the scene must continue. The first mistake was made by the linesman, the second by the referee. It was a clear violation of the rules"… pic.twitter.com/8S78pKomjk
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) May 8, 2024
Takeaways
Real Madrid are closing in on more history. Ancelotti advanced to his sixth final in the dugout and his third in the Spanish capital (two of which have been in his second stint as the manager). As a man of such great experience, his leadership never lets the situation sway his emotions. That peace personifies the approach of his players on the pitch. Even though it was a magical ending to a match in the midweek lights, the affair did not feature phases in which the hosts were out of their element.
Tuchel could not contain his fury. He knows the Bavarians have blown their last shot at a trophy. It is the first time since 2012 that the club have failed to secure silverware in a season. The flaws of his outfit have suited their path to the Champions League semi-final and depended on Tuchel’s tactful approach from game to game. Injuries might have forced his hand, but for once, he reacted too much to the game state. He has paid the ultimate price in a tenure that will be a footnote in Bayern’s history.
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