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It was a match that went the full distance and it was a penalty shootout which decided the fate of the second UEFA Champions League semi-final. Real Madrid could score only once in the shootout in response to Bayern’s three goals which meant the German side now enter their 2nd UCL final in 4 years and will attempt to become the first team since Inter Milan did it almost 50 years ago to win the European Cup in their own home.
Real Madrid who had a 100 percent record at home in the Champions League this season were off to a flyer when they were awarded a controversial penalty which Ronaldo converted in the 5th min. The Portuguese then scored again with a calm finish in the 14th minute after being given acres of space by Bayern defenders. Bayern equalised through former Madrid winger Arjen Robben’s penalty in the 27th minute, Pepe being the culprit as he brought down Gomez when he was through on goal. (Read full report here)
Real Madrid
Iker Casillas – 6
Shaky night for the Spain # 1, wasn’t as confident in stopping long range efforts. Lucky his spill was cleared by Khedira when Ribery was through on goal. He did save two penalties though, and will be disappointed that his forward line let him down.
Alvero Arbeloa - 5
Allowed Ribery to drift inside a lot and had a difficult time controlling his runs. Could not bomb forward much as De Maria provided little help in defence.
Pepe - 5
Made a couple of impressive tackles but was poor overall. Slightly fortunate not to be sent off when he pushed Gomez in the box for the penalty. Gave Gomez too much time to shoot and space to run behind him.
Sergio Ramos - 5
Better than Pepe but average in defence. Poor marking overall and allowed Gomez, Kroos and other midfielders too much space to think and play their passes in front of him. Blazed his penalty over the bar, the 4th of the shootout for Madrid.
Marcelo - 7
Picked not surprisingly, ahead of Coentrao. Kept a good check on Robben’s cut-ins and as usual joined Ronaldo to support the attack from the left. Made a superb 60-yard dash in the dying stages of extra time and played Higuain through, who unfortunately was offside.
Angel De Maria – 4
Poor match for the Argentinian winger. His passing, runs & ball control all were missing and he hardly made any noticeable contributions, except winning a lucky penalty, while going forward.
Sami Khedira – 7
Supported his defence superbly throughout the match along with Alonso. His latch ditch tackle on Ribery in the box was first class. Hardly gave the ball away too.
Xabi Alonso – 8
Showed his class with some sumptuous long range diagonals to De Maria, Marcelo and Ronaldo. The “pass-master†was the architect of most of the Madrid counter- attacks. Was organised when his defensive duties were called upon as well . Scored the make or break 3rd penalty of the shootout to keep Madrid’s hopes alive, albeit temporarily.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 7
Showed why he is a big game player with two of the world’s calmest finishes. Always a threat running forward although did very little defensively and his final ball was lacking. Missed an important Champions League penalty again as his bottom right corner shot was well saved by Neuer.
Mesut Ozil – 6
Started the game brightly with his runs but faded as the match wore on.
Karim Benzema – 6
Had little supply and had to drift behind Ronaldo and De Maria to get the ball. Saw his beautiful curler from a tight angle in the first half go wide. Combined with Ronaldo, Ozil and De Maria very well.
Substitutes –
Kaka ( On for De Maria in the 75th min) – 5
Never got going although he got into some dangerous positions. His touches and passing were ordinary . Had a glorious chance to shoot in the 111th min when he waited for too long for a team mate to arrive. Poor 2nd penalty in the shoot-out which was saved by Neuer
Gonzalo Higuain (On for Benzema in the 105th min) - 4
Was brought on to freshen up the tired attack for the men in white. Never really affected the game much. Should have let Marcelo’s ball go for Ronaldo when he was clearly in an offside position.
Esteban Granero – ( On for Mesut Ozil in the 111th min ) –
Brought on for the tired Ozil to shore up the centre of the park. Got booked for trying to win a penalty.
Bayern Munich –
Manuel Neuer – 8
Not at fault for either of Madrid goals. Showed good technique to catch Ronaldo’s free kicks instead of parrying them away. Saved Ronaldo’s and Kaka’s shots in the shootout as well.
Philipp Lahm – 5
Horribly out of position to let Ronaldo through for his second goal. Was not his normal self in attack either as he couldn’t take advantage of Ronaldo’s inability to track back. Missed the 4th penalty of the shootout with a poor shot straight down the middle.
Jerome Boateng – 6
Average defensively in the first half but got better as the match progressed. Positioning and marking were questionable for Real's second goal.
Holger Badstuber – 5
Committed too many times and was lucky Benzema couldn’t find the pass from the right in the second half. Got confident defensively, like Boateng, as the match wore on. Was crestfallen when he was booked for a poor tackle on Benzema, with the knowledge of missing the final, but was perhaps lucky not to see red for it.
Franck Ribery – 6
Had a lot of the ball and tried a lot as well but got the better of Arbeloa fewer times than he would have liked. Linked up well with Kroos and was a part of every major Bayern attack.
David Alaba – 7
Extremely unfortunate to concede a penalty off a handball which he had little idea about. Tried to make up for it with his incisive runs from the left and played some tempting balls. Was very good defensively against De Maria and Ozil. Scored superbly in the the shootout.
Luiz Gustavo Dias – 6
Played as a defensive midfielder and did the job of cleaning up pretty well. Was better defensively than both his centre-halves and linked up with the attackers neatly.
Bastian Schweinsteiger – 6
Far less influential in the centre of the park than Bayern would have wanted. Did not lose the ball but hardly played any purposeful through balls in the match. Was instrumental in keeping the midfield compact in the second half though. Buried the final penalty with confidence to send Bayern through.
Toni Kroos – 6
Impressive game for the youngster as he found Gomez, Robben and Ribery time and again with his passes. His passing was incisive and he never got hustled much by the strength of Madrid defence. Missed the crucial 3rd penalty in the shootout, with a weak shot.
Arjen Robben – 6
Not as effective as in the last match but still was a threat whenever he ran with the ball. Saw his penalty palmed into the goal by Casillas and missed a sitter early in the contest. Did help his defence as and when needed but never got the better of Marcelo during attack.
Mario Gomez- 5
Missed some glorious opportunities to score and didn’t have his scoring boots on today. Should have won the tie in the 86th min when played through by Robben but couldn’t get the ball out of his feet. Scored in the bottom right corner in the penalty shootout.
Substitutes –
Thomas Muller – (On for Ribery in the 95th min) – 5
Played on the right and tried a lot to get past players and find a telling cross but couldn’t . Hardly saw the ball in extra time.
Perhaps a fair result for the German side considering their performance over the two legs. Bayern now have the opportunity to win the Champions League for the first time since 2001.
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