Bayern Munich hold off Real Madrid to seal deserved win in first leg of quarter-final

Bayern Munich closed out a dramatic 2-1 win at the home of 15-time UEFA Champions League (UCL) winners Real Madrid in the first leg of their showpiece quarter-final tie, making Die Roten the favourites to advance to the last four for the 22nd time.

Modern and historic in equal measure, the Bernabeu provided the perfect backdrop for this meeting between the two most successful sides at this stage of the competition, and they lived up to expectation in a first half which showcased the quality of these storied clubs all over the pitch from the very first exchanges.

Bayern began on top, and were in disbelief when Dayot Upamecano failed to properly connect with Harry Kane’s headed pass from just a couple of yards out.

But the hosts soon began to effectively use their pace on the counter, as Manuel Neuer was required to deny Kylian Mbappe following Arda Guler’s slipped through ball.

That wasn’t the last time Bayern’s legendary stopper would be seen on the highlights reel in the half, with his next save from Mbappe only bettered by a diving stop to prevent a powerful Vinicius Junior strike from finding the bottom right.

Despite those chances, it would have been wrong to suggest the visitors didn’t deserve their opener, which stunned the home crowd five minutes before half-time. They carved Madrid open with a rapid passing move, culminating in a perfect through pass by Serge Gnabry which was received gratefully by Luis Diaz and passed into the net.

And Madrid had barely returned from the dressing room when Bayern compounded their misery, with a mazy Michael Olise run and lay-off providing the service for Kane to sweep beyond Andriy Lunin from the edge of the area within 30 seconds of the restart.

Lunin did manage to stop Olise getting one of his own on two occasions in the aftermath, though the hosts soon started to show signs of improvement.

They were given a gift when Upamecano’s botched clearance fell straight to Vinicius, though the Brazilian couldn’t find the net on rounding Neuer, while Mbappe curled just beyond the post.

That recent pressure did come to fruition with 15 minutes remaining though, as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s low cross to the far post found Mbappe, whose finish crossed the line despite Neuer’s best efforts.

There were predictably more chances for Los Blancos from there, but they couldn’t prevent just a second defeat in nine H2Hs with Bayern.

Die Roten’s goals either side of the break place them in the driving seat in the tie, and possibly earmark them as early favourites for a seventh UCL title.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)

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