If Real Madrid wins a third straight Champions League title on May 26 in Kiev, Cristiano Ronaldo and company will have earned every bit of it. Karim Benzema scored two goals for Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich on Tuesday at the Bernabeu as the Merengues advanced to the Champions League final for the third straight year with a 2-2 draw and 4-3 aggregate victory.
Real Madrid has won three straight knockout rounds over a domestic league winners, ruining the dreams of French champion Paris Saint-Germain, Italian soon-to-be champion Juventus and now German champion Bayern Munich.
Los Blancos scored a 2-1 win at the Allianz Arena last week to set themselves up to advance to another final. Despite giving up another early goal to Joshua Kimmich, Real Madrid recovered (thanks in large part to Keylor Navas) and can become the first team to three-peat in the Champions League.
While AC Milan and Juventus both reached three straight finals in the 90s, neither was able to win three straight. Not since Bayern Munich from 1974-76 has a club won three straight European championships, back when it was the European Cup. Ajax did the feat from 1971-73 and Real Madrid won the first five European Cups from 1956-60.
Fantastic tifo for Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich at the Bernabeu. Photo: @si_soccer | Twitter
Real Madrid can cement itself as one of the greatest dynasties in club football having reached a 16th European final, seventh in the Champions League era. Los Blancos haven’t lost a European final since 1981, so whether it’s Roma or Liverpool in the final, they’ll be the favorites. Merengues coach Zinedine Zidane has yet to be knocked out of the Champions League.
Bayern Munich, meanwhile, has been eliminated by Spanish clubs in each of the last five Champions League campaigns, including Real Madrid last year, Atletico Madrid in 2016, Barcelona in 2015 and Real Madrid in 2014. But hey, at least they beat Sevilla in the quarterfinals, right?
For Tuesday’s Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich match, Zidane left Gareth Bale and Casemiro on the bench and played Lucas Vázquez at right back. Jupp Heynckes left Javi Martinez on the bench in favor of the more forward-thinking midfield of Thiago and Corentin Tolisso. Vázquez at times was tortured on Bayern’s left flank and Tolisso helped commit the game’s worst error.
But it was Bayern Munich that came roaring out of the gates, with Kimmich smashing home the first goal inside three minutes. The Bayern right back scored in the 28th minute of the first leg.
¡Otra vez #Kimmich! El @FCBayernES hizo el primero con un gol de vestuario. #ChampionsEnFD @SirJohnLaguna @RodolfoLanderos @emperadorsuarez pic.twitter.com/UB0u05rtpV
— FOX Deportes (@FOXDeportes) May 1, 2018
But Zidane’s troops regrouped and soon put together a master class, 28-pass goal finished off by Benzema.
¡Uno a uno! @Benzema se reivindica con un gol que iguala las acciones. #ChampionsEnFD @SirJohnLaguna @emperadorsuarez @RodolfoLanderos pic.twitter.com/XZdulwiZNM
— FOX Deportes (@FOXDeportes) May 1, 2018
28 - Karim Benzema's equaliser ended a move of 28 completed passes by Real Madrid - only Lucas Digne's goal for Barcelona against Olympiakos (29) has featured more in the Champions League this season. Expression. pic.twitter.com/Dl9i7o6QI1
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 1, 2018
The visitors had the best of the possession and chances in the first half, with James Rodriguez somehow not finishing a great opportunity and a Marcelo hand ball going unnoticed by the officials.
HOW. DID. BAYERN. NOT. SCORE? pic.twitter.com/6SAIp33d8V
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) May 1, 2018
Handball..? Referee says no despite @FCBayern outrage. #UCL #beINUCL pic.twitter.com/QHAJezbvOT
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) May 1, 2018
6 - Sergio Ramos made six clearances in the first half, more than all Bayern Munich players combined (five). Captain. pic.twitter.com/aMSwz0Ifa4
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) May 1, 2018
But the match changed in the opening minutes of the second half, when a poor Tolisso pass led to a Sven Ulreich howler that allowed Benzema to easily score and put Real Madrid up 2-1, 4-2 on aggregate.
Sven Ulreich will, uh, want this one back #UCL (via @FoxDeportes) pic.twitter.com/KzoSFuWjjU
— Planet Fútbol (@si_soccer) May 1, 2018
At this point it appeared all but over, but James equalized on the night in the 63rd minute, meaning Bayern needed just one more goal to win the tie.
¡Gol de @jamesdrodriguez! El colombiano no festejó pero el @FCBayernES ya solo necesita un gol para clasificar. #ChampionsEnFD @SirJohnLaguna @marianot19 @RodolfoLanderos @emperadorsuarez pic.twitter.com/sZd0Chyku2
— FOX Deportes (@FOXDeportes) May 1, 2018
But Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane and Navas held strong in the back to help Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich in one of the more riveting Champions League matches we've seen in some time.
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