According to Kroos, it was simply “the belief” that brought the royals into the round of 16 against Paris Saint-Germain (0: 1, 3: 1) and in the quarter-finals against last year’s winners FC Chelsea (3: 1, 2: 3 aet). would have heaved next round. In the duel with Manchester City, it took a lot of faith, even a small football miracle, to avert the end of the most prestigious of all competitions.
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Riyad Mahrez put the Skyblues, who had won the first leg 4-3 at the Etihad Stadium, ahead in the 73rd minute and Real needed two goals to at least make it into extra time.
When there was hardly anything to suggest that Blancos could reach the final, thanks to Rodrygo’s goal, hope sprang up out of the much-quoted nothing (89th), just 88 seconds later the joker struck again and put the spectators in the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in collective ecstasy. Conditions reminiscent of the 1999 Champions League final between FC Bayern and Manchester United.
When Karim Benzema took a penalty in the 95th minute and then converted it coldly, Madrid’s next magical night and the final were perfect. But this time it wasn’t the star attacker who – as against PSG and Chelsea – was mainly responsible for the next remontada, rather those in the spotlight were those who otherwise lead a rather shadowy existence.
Also: City coach Pep Guardiola’s Champions League curse continues, once again the Catalan went empty-handed in a crucial game, once again his team had to bow out in beauty.
Three things that stood out:
1.) A touch of 1999
The (slightly) older semester may have remembered the events of May 26, 1999 while watching.
Back then, FC Bayern Munich at Barcelona’s Camp Nou believed they were sure to win the Champions League up to the 90th minute after Mario Basler’s early opening goal, before things took a dramatic, almost unprecedented turn.
Teddy Sheringham (90 + 1) and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (90 + 3) turned the game in a bizarre final act, shooting the Munich team into the valley of tears.
The parallels to Real’s comeback: In 1999 it was the jokers who turned the game around. Both Sheringham and Solskjaer had previously been substituted on. However, Real “only” celebrated one protagonist who had come off the bench: double packer Rodrygo.
Clive Tyldesley, who commentated on the Barcelona game for English television at the time, said after the final whistle: “Nobody will ever win a European final in such a dramatic way again.” Maybe not a final, but definitely a semi-final. Real Madrid proved that.
2.) Real celebrates new heroes
Although Benzema contributed the crucial third goal, the Frenchman, for a change, was not the most dazzling figure for Los Blancos. In the second leg of the semifinals, it was the others who shone.
First and foremost goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who made an impressive eight saves. These included some brilliant acts, such as Bernardo Silva’s finish in the 20th minute and the duel with Jack Grealish shortly before the end, when the Belgian wrapped a well-placed shot by the city star around the post with a brilliant foot defense and kept his team in the game (87th minute). .).
A small side note: only Manuel Neuer, then still in the kit of FC Schalke 04 (2010/11 in the semifinals against ManUnited), and Atlético goalkeeper Jan Oblak (2015/16 in the semifinals against Bayern) made more saves in the history of the Champions League in a semifinal game.
Thibaut Courtois
Fotocredit: Getty Images
But not only Courtois surpassed himself, right-back Dani Carvajal, who was rather weak in the first leg, also showed an outstanding performance. The former Leverkusen player not only provided the impressive template to make it 2-1, but was also an asset in other respects.
No Real player had more ball actions than Carvajal (89), no one on the home side recorded more ball wins (9) and shots on goal (3).
Another hero who isn’t usually the focus of attention: centre-back Nacho. The Spaniard replaced the injured David Alaba in the starting eleven and solved his problem brilliantly. Five clearing actions, four intercepts and a pass rate of 97 percent meant top values within his team.
In addition to those who were on the pitch from the start, the substitutes also deserved praise. Rodrygo’s brace spoke for itself anyway, but Eduardo Camavinga, who came on for Luka Modric in the 75th minute, also had a significant impact on the game.
The young Frenchman showed himself to be extremely strong in duels, winning 63 percent of his direct duels and also convincing in the game going forward. Again and again, Camavinga drove the ball dynamically through midfield, occasionally overrunning his opponents with ease. It was he who initiated the scene that led to the final penalty (Rúben Dias fouled Benzema).
3.) Pep’s Champions League curse continues
When Man City’s longtime midfield strategist Yaya Touré left the club in 2018, it wasn’t necessarily for the better. The Ivorian had fallen out with coach Pep Guardiola, Touré’s advisor was so angry about his client’s ejection that he was carried away to a grotesque statement.
“Guardiola has turned all of Africa against him, many African fans have turned their backs on Manchester City,” Seluk was quoted as saying by The Sun at the time. “And I am sure that in the future many African shamans will not allow Guardiola to win the Champions League. Always remember Pep.”
As soon as Guardiola fails in the Champions League, those same quotes are happily pulled out of the dustbin. This was also the case on Wednesday evening, when it was once again clear that the long-awaited pot with handles would not happen this season either.
Even if you don’t like supernatural powers – it’s strange that Guardiola, whose team is beefed up every year with millions and millions from Abu Dhabi, just doesn’t want to work out.
Already during his time at FC Bayern he was in the semi-finals three times in a row, during his six-year tenure at City he did not go beyond the quarter-finals three times, and in his debut season he was eliminated from the round of 16. Last year he lost in the final to Thomas Tuchel and his Chelsea FC.
While Guardiola was repeatedly confronted with criticism over the years and accused of having coached himself, he offered little to attack Real. No confused tactics, no questionable starting positions. Instead, his team offered great football, especially in the first leg, and also made a mature impression in the second meeting with the Spaniards. Not pretty, but effective.
“I’m very happy, we did great things in the Champions League. We’ll see what the future brings. For the moment, of course, it’s a hard blow for us,” Guardiola said after the match.
A hard hit. Yet again. As if the whole project was cursed.
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