The Art of Attacking Real Madrid

The ability to score goals from unexpected situations is an effective recipe for Real Madrid in the Champions League this season.

AFP/MICHAELA STACHE

Real Madrid striker, Vinicius Junior, celebrated his goal against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal at Allianz Arena in Munich, early Wednesday morning (May 1, 2024) in Western Indonesia Time (WIB). The match ended in a 2-2 draw.

MUENCHEN, WEDNESDAY — Real Madrid perfected the art of attacking at the most unexpected times against Bayern Munich in the first match of the Champions League semifinals at the Allianz Arena, Munich, Wednesday (1/5/2024). The match ended in a 2-2 draw which put Madrid in an advantageous position because in the second match they would play in front of tens of thousands of their own supporters at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Bayern Munich were so dominant that it seemed like it was only a matter of time before they scored. However, Madrid was actually able to surprise the hosts through Vinicius Junior's kick. From this unexpected situation, Madrid was able to surprise the hosts.

The Brazilian player welcomed a brilliant pass from Toni Kroos to give the away team the lead in the 24th minute through the first chance they got in the match. "I know Vini prefers the ball in space rather than at his feet. Then he started to move. He made it easy for me to pass with his movement," said Kroos commenting on the process of Vinicius' goal.

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Madrid's habit of scoring goals from unexpected situations is a concern for their opponents. This was acknowledged by Bayern midfielder Leon Goretzka.

"We let Vinicius be unguarded for a while and suddenly a big hole was created. No one expected something dangerous to happen, but that is the quality of Real and you have to be ready to face it at any time," said Goretzka.

AFP/MICHAELA STACHE

Real Madrid striker, Vinicius Junior (left), after scoring a goal against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals, early Wednesday morning (1/5/2024) WIB.

Bayern dominated possession of the ball from the start of the match and kicks on goal. Leroy Sane had a golden opportunity after only 40 seconds of the match and had another chance a minute later. Harry Kane almost scored with a shot from the middle of the field that went narrowly over the bar. Meanwhile, the visiting team had difficulty withstanding the successive attacks of the home players.

However, Madrid's success in this season's Champions League, including when they eliminated current champions Manchester City in the quarterfinals, was based on their ability to absorb pressure from their opponents before launching unexpected deadly attacks.

We let Vinicius get out of control for a moment and suddenly a big hole was created. No one expected something dangerous to happen, but that is the quality of Real and you must be prepared to face it at any time.

That is what they showed again in Munich. The visiting team repeated the trick to score the opening goal. They broke Munich's domination in a very simple way while showing the hosts how easy it was to score a goal.

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Kroos received the ball from a corner kick and released a pass that split Bayern's defense with a pass along the field towards Vinicius who was running fast towards an empty space in front of the penalty box. Without any Bayern players nearby, Vinicius calmly put the ball past the helpless goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. The goal changed the course of the match.

Bayern attempted to catch up, but they were unable to penetrate Real Madrid's tight defense. Their best opportunity after falling behind came from Kane's free kick that went wide to the side of the goal.

DPA VIA AP/SVEN HOPPE

Bayern Munich's attacker, Leroy Sane (center), scored a goal against Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals on Wednesday (1/5/2024) early morning Indonesian time.

When Madrid seemed to be taking control of the game at the beginning of the second half, Munich managed to equalize before taking the lead in just a span of four minutes.

Eric Dier passed the ball to Sane on the right wing, who then dribbled the ball into the penalty box before releasing a powerful shot towards Madrid's goal. That was Sane's first goal for Munich in all competitions since October 2023.

The next goal for Munich started from an attack through the left wing, led by Jamal Musiala who was then fouled by Lucas Vazquez in the penalty box. Referee Clement Turpin pointed to the spot and Kane successfully deceived goalkeeper Andriy Lunin to bring the home team in the lead.

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Muenchen regained control of the game and Real relied on counterattacks to score the equalizer goal. Eight minutes before the end of the match, Muenchen's central defender, Kim Min-jae, made a mistake by fouling Rodrygo in the penalty box. The referee awarded a penalty to Madrid, which was executed perfectly by Vinicius to change the score to 2-2, which lasted until the end of the match.

"In this competition, it is very important not to lose. We are here because we did not lose. I am happy that I was able to score two goals, and we need a magical night at home," said Vinicius.

AFP/MICHAELA STACHE

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane celebrates a goal against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final match early morning on Wednesday (1/5/2024) WIB.

Madrid is now more favored to advance to the finals with the second match held at Santiago Bernabeu. "This is a good result for the second match, but nothing is certain yet. Bayern has high quality. They have players like Musiala or Sane who can hurt us," said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel stated that they are determined to chase victory in Madrid to advance to the final in Wembley, London, next June. "It feels quite odd, but the situation is very clear. We win in Madrid, then we go to Wembley. The winner takes it all. We're ready to fight. We will go to Madrid with confidence. We have to be brave," emphasized Tuchel. (AP)