UCL Quarter Final: Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich: First Leg Match Review

Real Madrid fought back from a 1-0 deficit to defeat Bayern Munich 1-2 in the Allianz Arena to take a precious lead back to the Bernabéu next week. It was a significant victory for Los Blancos, who will now look to advance to the next stage in the competition. Tyler Mascarenhas gives you an in-depth review of the match.

Build Up to the Match

When the quarterfinal draws took place just over a month ago, one of the most promising fixtures that stood out for football fans across the world was Spanish giants Real Madrid taking on German behemoths Bayern Munich.

Both clubs have world class players that will cause a lot of talk for excitement, and correspondingly, both clubs feature a strong fanbase which includes its rich history and tradition.

Zinedine Zidane, the student to Carlo Ancelotti’s La Decima’s winning team in 2014, looked to upstage manager Ancelotti, who is finally playing his former club on the grandest stage of them all. These talking points make for the two-legged tie to be one of the most remembered among the 2017 Champions League campaign.

The injury bug hit both clubs this week, as Real Madrid were without center-backs Pepe and Raphael Varane, meaning  Nacho, a useful rotational player, would suit up to pair with Ramos at the back. On the other hand, Bayern Munich had to deal with issues to lethal striker Robert Lewandowski, and German center-back Mats Hummels.

Both clubs have suitable replacements for each player missing the match, so injury concerns should not take away from the magnitude that this fixture anticipated. With that said, let’s take a look to see how both clubs lined up for the first leg.

Starting XI’s

Aforementioned,  Nacho was the only ‘real’ change to Zinedine Zidane’s staple formation. Keylor Navas took his incumbent role as the shot-stopper, while Marcelo, Nacho, Ramos, and Carvajal were listed to make sure Bayern’s attack does not generate a lot of pressure. The Real Madrid midfield consisted of a Kroos, Casemiro, Modric trio, while the ‘BBC’ took their reigns for the attack.

On the other hand, Carlo Ancelotti had a selection headache as he had to replace both striker Robert Lewandowski and defender Mats Hummels, both of which are seen as regular starters for the Bavarian club. Neuer, the best goalkeeper on the planet, took his usual role as the Bayern keeper. In front of the German, featured the backline of Lahm, Boateng, Javi Martinez, and Alaba. The Munich midfield was entirely different from the same team that faced Real Madrid in the UCL in 2014, as Thiago, Vidal, and Alonso were slotted in. The attack fielded Ribery, Muller, and Robben. The full lineup can be seen below thanks to the Champions League’s Official Twitter page.

First Half

The match started pretty evenly, as both sides were testing each other out in a pure chess match. All the players on the pitch took their time, eased control on the ball, and did not want to make any mistakes which led to the opposition to take advantage.

Possession was the style both teams used when having the ball, and it was pure beauty to watch. Bayern Munich turned to Robben and Ribery to orchestrate their attack early on, while Zidane implemented his usual aerial style of play by pushing the full-backs up the pitch and circulating cross after cross inside the penalty area.  Off the ball, all the players took their shape to make sure Bayern chances were not limited.

As the first half materialized, Real Madrid looked to be more of the defensive side and wanted to capitalize on the counter. With that said, they took on pressure and as a result, a goal ensued. In the 25th minute, a corner kick from ex-Barcelona man Thiago Alcantara resulted in an Arturo Vidal header which gave Bayern the 1-0 lead.

When looking back on the replay, it was Pepe and Varane’s replacement, Nacho, who could not stay on his man and slipped away from Vidal as the ball was played into the air. The Chilean sent a bullet header past Navas, who in my opinion, was pretty poor on the play; and just like that, it was 1-0 for the home side.

After the goal, Real Madrid continued to let Bayern press and it almost shot them right in the foot. Vidal had another chance not too much later, as Robben cut from his right flank and sent in a wicked cross to the Chilean.

Vidal made contact but it was sent wide. Just before the halftime whistle, a Bayern Munich shot hit defender Carvajal in the shoulder, though the linesman believed it was his arm.

Since it was within the 18-yard box, Bayern were gifted a wrongful penalty. Vidal stepped up to take it but hit the ball with way to much power, and the ball sailed into the above netting. At the break, it was Bayern Munich 1-0 Real Madrid.

Second Half

The second half was an entirely different performance for Los Blancos. They started the break really well as Dani Carvajal broke the defense down with an artful run in the 47th minute, and sent in a cross straight to Cristiano, who superbly finished it with his side foot.

The goal came at the perfect time for Real Madrid, as they were now tied and had their confidence through the roof for the remaining 40 or so minutes. Continuing to attack, Real Madrid orchestrated chance after chance but Neuer was up to the challenge each and every time.

He truly is the best goalkeeper on the planet. In the 58th minute things got really interesting, as Spaniard Javi Martinez had two reckless tackles which each leading to a yellow card, and as a result, he was sent off.

Marco Asensio replaced Gareth Bale a minute later, as the Welshman was feeling discomfort in his leg. Bale continues to be a liability for Real Madrid, but Asensio put on a dazzling display causing no reason to worry.

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After the red card, Bayern Munich saw much less of the ball and Cristiano and co. were causing all sorts of issues for the 10-men Bayern side. Neuer again came up huge for Bayern and was the sole reason his team held onto a 1-1 tie. With that mentioned, you can only hold the snake for so long. In the 77th minute, Marco Asensio sent a beautiful cross into the penalty area and placed it just behind the backline. Ronaldo once again got his foot on it and it went straight through the keeper’s feet.

With the scoreline 1-2 in favor of the Spanish club, and Bayern having been reduced to 10 men, all Los Blancos had to do was see out the rest of the match.

Final Thoughts

The first leg was exactly what most people thought it would be. A closely played match with both teams creating chances, but it being more so of a chess match than a thriller.

Ronaldo proved once again that he is still unstoppable on his day, while Marco Asensio is putting in dazzling performances each time he steps onto the field. Real Madrid play the return leg on April 18th at the Bernabéu, and the winner of that match will most likely be punching their ticket to the Champions League semifinals.

Tyler Mascarenhas is a contributor for FanSided and The Real Champs. For any questions or inquiries, please contact @Tyler_Amario on Twitter.