Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti credited the “magical” Santiago Bernabéu stadium for motivating his team to the Champions League final on Wednesday, after the Spanish side scored two late goals to beat Bayern Munich 2-1 in the semifinal second leg.
With the scores level at 2-2 after the first leg, both teams knew the winner in Madrid would progress through to London’s showpiece event against Borussia Dortmund on June 1.
It had looked as though Bayern had done enough after Alphonso Davies scored a stunning goal in the 68th minute but, as they have done on countless occasions in this competition, Los Blancos found a way to hit back in the final moments of the match.
With all hope seemingly lost, Madrid’s substitute striker Joselu turned the tie on its head after scoring two goals in the space of three minutes.
“It’s happened again. Something that has happened time after time, which is inexplicable, has happened again,” Ancelotti said, referring to the number of late comebacks Madrid has produced in the Champions League in recent seasons.
“A set of fans who drive us, a stadium that supports us, a stunning atmosphere and a group of players who believe. It’s magical.”
Madrid’s first goal came courtesy of a costly error from Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. The German had been impressive all game but spilled a simple shot to present Joselu with a chance to score the equalizer in the 88th minute.
The goal sparked something special inside the newly refurbished Bernabéu, and it was an atmosphere that pushed Madrid to find the winner in the 91st minute.
It was Joselu again who put the ball in the back of the net, but the goal was initially ruled out for offside.
The stadium held its breath as the video assistant referee (VAR) checked the decision and then erupted when it was decided that neither Antonio Rüdiger, who provided the assist, nor Joselu was offside.
Staff and players flooded off the Madrid bench to celebrate in front of the frenzied crowd, as Bayern players looked crestfallen having seen their hopes of reaching the final slip away in a matter of minutes.
But, incredibly, the drama wasn’t finished yet.
Controversial offside flag decision
In search of an equalizer, Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt did get the ball in the back of Madrid’s net in the 13th minute of added time.
However, the referee had stopped play just seconds before the defender’s shot whistled into the bottom corner, after spotting the linesman had raised his flag.
This time, VAR could not be used to check the incredibly tight decision because the referee had blown his whistle.
Usually, in such situations, the officials are supposed to let the attacking phase continue before deciding on any offside.
De Ligt told beIN Sports after the match that the linesman told him, “I’m sorry, I made a mistake,” but said that was of little comfort to the side.
“If it’s offside, it’s offside, but I think we made rules in football and the rules say if it’s not a clear offside, which it wasn’t … you have to keep playing,” he said postmatch. “And if you go in the last minute and whistle like this, yeah, I think this is a big, big, big mistake. If it’s offside or not, I don’t know, you can check it. But if you don’t check it, how can you see it?”
Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel also said the linesman apologized for raising his flag too early, but the German said such an apology “does not help” and criticized the referee for blowing the whistle too early.
“It almost feels like a betrayal because of that decision,” Tuchel told TNT Sports after the match.
“It’s a very, very bad decision. It’s against the rules […] it’s tough to swallow, but it’s the way it is.”
While Tuchel and de Ligt were unhappy with the officials, they both accepted the defeat and congratulated Madrid for making yet another final.
The manager, though, came in for criticism himself for his decision to take Harry Kane off in the 85th minute.
In addition to his attacking threats, the English striker has somewhat perfected the art of running down the clock and his physical presence was needed in the final minutes of the game.
Tuchel, though, told critics that Kane was unable to give anymore in the match.
From fan to hero
After the full-time whistle, Madrid celebrated in style as it crowned Joselu the club’s new hero.
The striker had initially struggled after his loan move from second division Espanyol to the Spanish giant but has now written his name in the club’s storied history.
Following his match-winning exploits, pictures of the striker in Paris supporting Madrid at the 2022 Champions League final spread on social media – two years later and the 34-year-old inspired his team to the pinnacle of European soccer.
“My dreams aren’t as beautiful as what happened today. As a forward, you dream of scoring goals, and if they’re like tonight’s, then even better,” Joselu said after the match.
