Bayern Munich secured an away victory against Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie. The home side managed only a single goal from Kylian Mbappé in response to strikes by Luis Díaz and Harry Kane. Manuel Neuer, who made nine crucial saves, alongside Serge Gnabry and Michael Olise, whose accurate passes created opportunities, also earned considerable praise. In a separate match, Arsenal snatched an away win against Sporting in the 91st minute, thanks to a sharp diagonal run from the flank to the center and an impressive pass from Gabriel Martinelli, coupled with Kai Havertz’s timely run into the box.
Neuer’s Second Wind
The contest between Real and Bayern can certainly be termed a European football classic. Since 1992, these two teams have faced each other 22 times in the Champions League. No other pair of clubs has met more frequently during this period. For context, Madrid has clashed with Juventus and Manchester City 17 times each.
Nonetheless, the majority of these encounters, particularly in recent history, have not brought joyous results for the Munich supporters. Their last triumph only dates back to the 2012 semi-finals, when they overcame their opponents away on penalties. Subsequently, Los Blancos eliminated the Bavarians in the knockout stages of the premier European competition four consecutive times, including at the same stage in the current year.
This time, Vincent Kompany’s squad had an excellent opportunity for retribution and were considered the favourites. Furthermore, Harry Kane returned to the main group after struggling with an ankle issue. Conversely, the hosts sustained another key personnel loss. Thibaut Courtois joined Ferland Mendy, Dani Ceballos, and Rodrygo on the injury list. Consequently, the Ukrainian Andriy Lunin stepped in between the posts.
As anticipated, the Munich side overwhelmed their opponents right from the opening whistle. They implemented a high press and largely remained in the opposition’s final third. The home team found this initial phase difficult, but they managed to hold firm.
After weathering the initial storm, the game leveled out. Moreover, they possessed their signature weapon: counter-attacks. Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé were perpetually poised to exploit open spaces. Indeed, the Frenchman missed the most dangerous chance, firing towards the near post after a defense-splitting pass from Federico Valverde, only for Manuel Neuer to make the save.
The Brazilian was also prominent. Shortly before that, the veteran Bayern keeper had to work hard to deny a tricky, low curling shot from outside the box. In another sequence, a deflection almost sent the ball into the roof of the net for the South American.
Lunin kept pace with his experienced counterpart on several occasions. For instance, when Thiago Alcântara misplaced the ball near his own goal, Serge Gnabry seized the opportunity. Lunin reacted quickly, closing the distance and rescuing his teammates.
However, just before the interval, precisely when it seemed a stalemate was imminent, the visitors broke the deadlock. Gnabry delivered an excellent through ball to Luis Díaz, who clinically finished a one-on-one situation. Although Álvaro Fernández signaled for offside, he himself was caught outside the line. The sequence began with Vinícius losing possession in the midfield area due to the initial pressure exerted by Bayern.
And at the very start of the second half, the home team’s situation turned critical as they conceded just 22 seconds in. This happened immediately after they had initiated play from the center circle. Josip Stanišić dispossessed the same error-prone Fernández and launched a swift attack, which Kane finished with a precise shot into the far corner from the edge of the box. Lunin, it seemed, did not see the shot clearly; though he got a hand to it, the ball nestled in the net.
This goal marked the Englishman’s 49th of the campaign for the Munich side. Following this, Michael Olise nearly extended the lead to a rout, but the Ukrainian managed to stop the Frenchman’s shot aimed at the near corner.
To their credit, Álvaro Arbeloa’s men refused to capitulate and seized the initiative. The opposition, meanwhile, began making errors in their own half. Dayot Upamecano’s particularly egregious miscontrol stood out, allowing Vinícius to race clear towards Neuer. The German expertly steered the Brazilian wide, preventing him from hitting the target.
The veteran captain could easily be considered one of the match heroes, having registered nine saves. Notably, around the hour mark, he tipped Mbappé’s shot over the bar with his fingertips.
Kylian, however, eventually denied the keeper a clean sheet, latching onto Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross from the right flank to narrow the deficit. Neuer managed to get a touch to this shot as well, but the ball rebounded off his hand, struck the crossbar, and then crossed the line.
In the closing stages, the hosts pressed hard and forced the World Champion into action a couple more times. Yet, they were also susceptible to conceding. Crucially, they reignited the tie, giving themselves a chance for a comeback in Germany.
Arteta’s Fortunate Substitution
Meanwhile, in the match against Sporting, Arsenal appeared destined for victory. Few doubted the Gunners, who had won nine out of ten CL matches this season with one draw, would cruise to a confident win. On the other hand, the Lisbon side had nothing to lose. Moreover, they displayed incredible character in the Round of 16 by overcoming Bodø/Glimt after suffering a 0-3 defeat in the first leg.
They also possess a positive history against the Londoners; just three years ago, the Portuguese side knocked them out via a penalty shootout in the Europa League Round of 16. Finally, Mikel Arteta’s players were not in the best morale following their shock defeat to Southampton and subsequent FA Cup elimination.
Consequently, Sporting indeed put up a fierce fight against the favorites at home and could plausibly have won. Early on, the hosts squandered a near-certain goal. After a superb pass from deep by a teammate, Maximiliano Javier Araújo went clear towards David Raya, but the keeper tipped the ball onto the crossbar with his fingertips.
Subsequently, the Gunners took control, but the Lisbon defense held firm, leaving no empty spaces. Therefore, chances largely materialized from set pieces. For instance, Nonny Madueke nearly curled the ball straight into the net from a corner kick, with the crossbar also saving the opponents.
In the second half, the visitors increased the pressure, but clear-cut opportunities remained scarce. This prompted Arteta to refresh his forward line by introducing Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli. As we’ll see, these substitutions proved effective.
Towards the end, Sporting looked closer to scoring, but Raya found his rhythm. First, the Spaniard saved a shot from Geny Catamo from close range inside the six-yard box. He then not only stopped the Mozambican’s attempt but also denied Luís Suárez on the follow-up.
Conversely, the Londoners capitalized on a rare chance in stoppage time. The decisive victory was engineered precisely by the fresh players introduced from the bench. Martinelli floated an arcing pass into the penalty area. Havertz, running onto it, controlled the ball with his first touch and slotted it past the goalkeeper with his second.
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