1 month ago
The Champions League’s reply to el clásico resumes successful Madrid connected Tuesday. Real Madrid v Bayern Munich is nan astir played fixture successful European competition: 28 matches and counting, including 13 knockout ties. Here are six of nan best.
1975-76
Semi-final Bayern won 3-1 connected aggregate
Bayern and Real person ne'er met successful a European last – but that’s only if you return these things literally. In 8 of their 13 knockout clashes nan winning squad became champions of Europe that season. A precedent was group successful their first gathering 50 years ago, erstwhile Bayern hit Real en way to their 3rd consecutive European Cup.
Bayern did nan dense lifting pinch an fantabulous 1-1 tie astatine nan Bernabéu. Some laissez-faire defending from Franz Beckenbauer and Udo Horsmann was punished expertly by Roberto Martínez, but Bayern’s prolific extremity instrumentality Gerd Müller equalised earlier half-time. There was overmuch excitement that nan crippled would beryllium watched by “200 cardinal televiewers successful 15 countries”. However, a accumulation correction meant nary of them saw Müller’s goal, only his trademark leaping celebration.
There is footage of a notorious incident astatine nan last whistle, erstwhile an affronted Madrid instrumentality hared connected to nan pitch, chinned Müller arsenic he ran past and past floored nan referee, Erich Linemayr, pinch 1 punch. A pensive Müller was carried from nan field. Real were banned from European title for a year; nan newspaper Marca said: “Uefa has assassinated its ain father.” Uefa brought him backmost to life erstwhile they lifted nan prohibition a fewer weeks later. But Madrid were truthful irked that they hired a squad of backstage detectives to way down nan assailant. A 26-year-old waiter from Madrid was yet identified.
By then, Bayern were European champions again. Before nan 2nd limb of nan semi-final, Müller had announced: “We will triumph 2-0 and I will people my 50th European Cup goal.” His predictions, for illustration his finishing, had an eerie precision. Müller scored his 50th and 51st European Cup goals to settee nan necktie successful nan first half. Both goals, 1 pinch each foot, were emblematic Müller: inelegant, majestic, emphatic. The shot world concurred that he was worthy each penny of his £1,400-a-week wages.
1987-88
Quarter-final Real won 4-3 connected aggregate
We should astir apt mention nan infamous semi-final of 1987, erstwhile Juanito plunged his studs into Lothar Matthäus’s face. But Scott Murray covered that successful a typically superb piece successful 2014, and we should characteristic astatine slightest 1 quarter-final, fixed that’s wherever nan teams are gathering this year. So let’s move guardant 12 months to 1988, and a dramatic twist successful nan Munich snow.
Yep, snowfall successful March. Bayern group astir Real from nan disconnected – Roland Wohlfarth deed nan barroom aft 35 seconds – and scored 3 goals successful 9 minutes either broadside of half-time. It was still 3-0 aft 84 minutes erstwhile Norbert Eder, who scored nan 2nd from a good Mark Hughes pass, came look to look pinch Kipling’s different impostor. His unsighted back-pass was publication and punished by nan predatory Emilio Butragueño.
Real celebrated their distant extremity wildly and could hardly judge their luck erstwhile a wildly optimistic and ostensibly harmless free-kick from Hugo Sánchez slithered nether nan Bayern keeper, Jean-Marie Pfaff.
“We’ll triumph nan 2nd limb 8-0,” announced Madrid’s left-winger Rafael Gordillo. He was 25% correct, but a 2-0 triumph was enough. Milan Jankovic’s deflected changeable and a prestigious volley from Míchel – made superbly by Gordillo – vanished disconnected Bayern earlier half-time.
1999-2000
Semi-final Real won 3-2 connected aggregate
At nan 1954 World Cup, West Germany mislaid 8-3 to Hungary successful nan group shape earlier turning nan tables pinch a stunning 3-2 triumph successful nan final. The twist went nan different measurement successful 1999-2000. Bayern hammered a woebegone Real Madrid doubly successful nan 2nd group stage, 4-2 and 4-1, only to suffer 3-2 connected aggregate to rejuvenated opponents 2 months later.
Real’s leader was their problem child, Nicolas Anelka. In his first play astatine Real, he scored only 2 goals successful La Liga and was suspended by nan nine president aft refusing to train. But he returned successful clip to people a extremity successful each limb of a heavyweight semi-final. Anelka gave Madrid an early lead successful nan first limb astatine nan Bernabéu, which was doubled erstwhile Jens Jeremies accidentally ran nan shot into his ain net.
Bayern started ferociously successful Munich, bombarding Real’s teenage keeper, Iker Casillas, and took an early lead done a spectacular volley from Carsten Jancker. But nan teams knew an distant extremity would termination nan necktie astatine a stroke, and Anelka scored it pinch a stunning 31st-minute header. He was 10 yards out, moving distant from extremity to meet a flat, paceless transverse from Sávio, while being utilized arsenic an arm-rest by Samuel Kuffour. Yet someway Anelka managed to twist his cervix and slam a back-header into nan acold corner.
Giovane Élber gave Bayern dream early successful nan 2nd half, but they needed 2 much goals and Real, for whom Fernando Redondo was again outstanding successful midfield, saw nan occupation through. It was nan first of 3 successive seasons successful which nan victor of Bayern v Real went connected to triumph nan Champions League.
2011-12
Semi-final Bayern won 3-1 connected penalties (aggregate score: 3-3)
With a weakened Chelsea waiting for nan winners, nan 2nd limb of this necktie felt, wrongly arsenic it turned out, for illustration a de facto final. It was shot for grownups betwixt 2 star-studded sides. Mario Gómez’s last-minute extremity had fixed Bayern a 2-1 triumph successful nan first limb successful Munich. The 2nd limb escalated quickly; nan necktie was level astatine 3-3 aft half an hour. Cristiano Ronaldo scored doubly successful nan first 14 minutes, a punishment and a nonchalant one-on-one finish, earlier Real cull Arjen Robben brought Bayern level acknowledgment to a softish penalty.
A high-class, impossibly tense title was settled by a somewhat shambolic punishment shootout. Manuel Neuer made 2 superb saves from Ronaldo, who had scored his erstwhile 25 penalties for Real, and Kaká. Bayern besides missed doubly but past Sergio Ramos launched his punishment into orbit and Bastian Schweinsteiger pinged nan winning kick.
Nobody knew it astatine nan time, but this was a fork successful nan roadworthy of José Mourinho’s career. His Madrid broadside were astir to dethrone perchance nan top nine broadside of each and would decorativeness a triumphant La Liga run pinch a grounds 121 goals successful 38 games. At nan property of 49, Mourinho was tantalisingly adjacent to winning nan Champions League pinch 3 clubs from 3 countries. The reality – that he had reached (surely) his past Champions League last 2 years earlier – was unthinkable.
2013-14
Semi-final Real won 5-0 connected aggregate
The symbolic commencement of Real’s 2nd aureate property successful their favourite competition. They humiliated nan reigning champions, a triumph made moreover sweeter because Pep Guardiola was Bayern’s caput coach, and would soon extremity their 12-year quest for La Décima. It was nan first of 4 Champions League trophies successful 5 years.
Karim Benzema was nan look of a beautiful squad extremity successful nan first limb successful Madrid, aft which cipher could determine who were favourites. That soon changed erstwhile Ramos, who missed a important punishment 2 years earlier, scored 2 cathartic headers successful nan abstraction of 4 minutes.
The necktie was realistically complete astatine that point, pinch Bayern needing four, but Real added nan astir emphatic afloat extremity courtesy of a devastating counterattack: Ángel Di María, Benzema, Gareth Bale and finally, inevitably, Ronaldo. He scored again astatine nan death, deliberately driving a free-kick nether nan wall, and Real saw disconnected Atlético Madrid successful nan final. The semi-final was a landmark crippled for them – and for Guardiola, who won nan Champions League doubly successful his first 3 seasons arsenic a head pinch Barcelona but was entering nan wilderness years.
2023-24
Semi-final Real won 4-3 connected aggregate
Real person agelong celebrated nan remontada: nan second-leg comeback astatine nan Bernabéu. In caller years they’ve introduced nan micro-remontada. Never mind 90 minutes; against Manchester City successful 2022, it took Rodrygo precisely 90 seconds to people doubly successful wounded clip to return an apparently dormant necktie into other time. Two years later, Joselu, who we are contractually obliged to mention to arsenic a Stoke and Newcastle reject, made an moreover much melodramatic intervention.
It took a spot longer – 144 seconds betwixt nan 2 finishes – but Joselu’s goals took Real to nan last without recourse to other time. After a 2-2 tie successful Munich, Alphonso Davies’s thrilling extremity successful Madrid seemed to person put Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern successful nan final. Then, successful nan 88th minute, Joselu punished a correction from Neuer to equalise.
Real smelled humor and their predatory instincts were satisfied successful nan 2nd second of wounded clip erstwhile Joselu volleyed successful Antonio Rüdiger’s cross. The extremity was made moreover much melodramatic because of nan first awesome video adjunct involution successful nan Bayern-Real wars. It was flagged offside but each replay looked much ominous for Bayern. After an interminable 80 seconds, nan extremity was fixed and Real were done to play Borussia Dortmund successful nan final. And for nan eighth time, nan victor of Bayern v Real became champions of Europe.
