The quickest strike in this season’s Champions League, seven goals, two red cards and the competition’s 15-time winners exiting in anger – once again the knockout stages of European club football’s elite contest has delivered drama in spades.
“If the start of this game is anything to go by then we are in for a hell of a night,” said former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard on TNT Sports after Real Madrid struck 35 seconds into Wednesday’s quarter-final second leg at Bayern Munich.
The German champions held a 2-1 lead from the first leg in Madrid, but Arda Guler’s lightning-fast 25-yard strike following a mistake by home keeper Manuel Neuer levelled the scoreline and set the tone for a breathless return at the Allianz Arena.
It was the fastest goal in this season’s competition and was followed by four more in a frenetic, fabulous first half.
A chaotic finale settled the outcome in Bayern’s favour as Eduardo Camavinga was sent off for Real with four minutes left and Vincent Kompany’s men scored twice late to progress to the semi-finals with a 4-3 win on the night, 6-4 on aggregate.
Unsavoury events came after the final whistle too as Real vented their anger over Camavinga’s controversial dismissal – the second yellow card for time-wasting – as the substituted Guler was shown a straight red card on the sidelines for confronting referee Slavko Vincic.
“The story of the night is the last five minutes,” said former Real Madrid winger Steve McManaman. “What a game and what an evening.”
Neuer’s gift gives Real hope
Real went into the game facing a tough task against a Bayern side that had won 18 of their 20 games at home before Wednesday night’s encounter.
But with 15 titles and blessed with world-class talent, the Spanish giants are the competition’s most successful team and always retained a belief they could turn things around in Munich.
What they didn’t perhaps anticipate was a gift for the opening goal by Bayern keeper Neuer in the opening seconds.
Under no pressure, the 40-year-old hit a clearance straight to Guler and, instantly, the Turkey international brilliantly sent a curling left-footed finish into the empty net.
According to former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart, Neuer was “faultless” in the first leg, with his superb performance at the Bernabeu leading to a clamour in the German media for the veteran’s return to the national team.
“Even a 40-year-old Neuer is one of the best keepers in the world and certainly the best in Germany,” European football expert Raphael Honigstein told BBC Radio 5 Live. “How can it be that he will not go to the World Cup? There is a lot of talk in Germany at the moment.
“He is good, but he is not quite at his best anymore, which is natural.”
That was perhaps reflected in the return tie.
Since the 2003-04 season, Neuer has made 14 errors leading to a goal in the Champions League – at least four more than any other player in that period.
Big players step up in thrilling first half
But a mistake so early was never going to be decisive. Indeed, it may have contributed to what followed in an opening period to savour.
Real’s lead – which had levelled the tie on aggregate – lasted just five minutes as Aleksandar Pavlovic headed Joshua Kimmich’s corner in from practically on the goalline as visiting keeper Andriy Lunin was left stranded.
This was the earliest two teams had scored against each other in any Champions League knockout-stage match.
A third goal came in the 29th minute as Guler and Neuer took centre stage once again – the former whipping in a sublime free-kick that the Bayern keeper could only push into his own net after getting there too late.
Then Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe, arguably the world’s two best strikers, decided to get in on the act.
First, the England captain curled in a fine finish for his 50th goal in a stunning season to make it 2-2 on the night and 4-3 to Bayern on aggregate, before Mbappe slotted past Neuer just before half-time to level the tie once more.
When the whistle blew for the break, it was finally time to catch our breath.
Bayern’s ‘absolute belief’ as Real fury over ‘unfair’ dismissal
It was always going to be difficult for the second period to match the high-octane tempo of the first, and instead the decisive moments, both mad and magnificent, were compacted into the final few minutes.
With extra time looming, substitute Camavinga was dismissed for two yellow cards within 24 minutes of coming on. The first was for a foul on Jamal Musiala in the 78th minute and the second for taking the ball and delaying a Bayern free-kick following a foul on Kane.
The red card was to prove costly as the hosts made the most of their advantage.
Luis Diaz struck in the 89th minute to make it 5-4 to Bayern on aggregate, before Michael Olise put the icing on the cake in stoppage time.
With Guler also sent off in the aftermath, Real boss Alvaro Arbeloa said: “With the red card everything was over.
“It’s unbelievable to send off a player for this action. It’s not possible in a player like that, match like that. We feel all of this is a bit unfair.”
For Bayern, a semi-final against holders Paris St-Germain will follow and boss Kompany said: “The boys were mentally strong to recover from setbacks.
“The fans helped us as well. We stayed calm and always felt that our moment would come. The boys deserved this win.
“We showed absolute belief and will to fight our way back into the game.”
Gerrard, a 2005 Champions League winner with Liverpool, described it as “an incredible game of football, end-to-end, fascinating tactical approaches”.
“Extra time was looking likely, but one moment of madness, indiscipline and silliness has cost Real the chance of getting to the last four,” he added.
Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock told Match of the Day: “Both teams were brilliant going forward, but defensively both have been poor.
“If you want to win the Champions League, can you play like that? It is going to be fascinating to see how that pans out when Bayern face Paris St-Germain.”
