Regular Time: RM (5'[pen.], 14' Cristiano) 2 - 1 (27' Robben) Bayern
Penalties: RM (Xabi Alonso) 1 - 3 (Alaba, Gómez, and Schweinsteiger) Bayern
Tonight was a spectacular night for football
and anyone who was there at the Bernabéu will tell you – it was a match to
remember. Real Madrid took on old
Champions League foe Bayern Munich in the return leg of semifinals, and while
the men fought long and hard, it would be Bayern as the last man standing. While it breaks my heart to not see los Blancos in the final, all
Madridistas should take pride in the valiant display of football and heroics
that these men gave us, taking us to a
penalty shootout, where we were finally eliminated.
Real Madrid erased their 2-1 deficit from the
first leg within the first five minutes of play. The German side conceded a penalty to the
home team when Ángel di María's volley hit David Alaba's arm inside the area – handball. As predicted, it would be Madrid's #7, Cristiano
Ronaldo, who stepped up. The Portuguese
all-star stood alone, looking into the eyes of his opponent, Manuel Neuer,
while his men stood behind him and the world watched in anticipation. One.
Inhale. Two. Exhale.
Three. The Bernabéu erupted in
cheers. Cristiano successfully converted
the penalty with a right-footed shot to the bottom right corner, which put los Blancos ahead of the match in
addition to evening out the aggregate 2-2.
Bayern was unfazed.
The men displayed just how lethal they could
be, a friendly reminder for the Bavarians, at the 14' minute mark. A deflected pass fell in the path of Mesut
Özil and he had enough time to pick out an unmarked Cristiano. It was a huge
mistake on Bayerns part, leaving him unmarked like that. The Portuguese man dribbled past Neuer after
controlling the ball outside the box, sliding the ball past the keeper and in
at his near post. ¡Muchas gracias, crack!
Bayern saw plenty of the ball thereafter,
worrying this Madridista as they looked more and more dangerous. They had one too many chances of scoring for
my liking and put San Iker to the
test. The Germans were offered a chance
to level at the 27' minute mark when Pepe recklessly
dragged Mario Gómez to the ground inside the area – penalty. Just as Cristiano
stepped up to for Madrid, Robben took on the responsibility and converted the
penalty, in spite of Casillas' efforts to keep it out. The aggregate was equal yet again at 3-3.
Momentum continued early in the second half,
Madrid starting off the way they did in the first half. However, it soon fizzled out as Bayern began
to have more possession. But at least los Blancos began to look more dangerous
in their counterattacks. The Bernabéu
roared in support of its team as both sides played a careful game. Bring on Pipita! Bring on Kaká! Bring on Callejón! Bring on someone! These were the thoughts of every Madridista I
conversed with throughout the half.
"Now is not the time to be stingy, Mourinho," I tweeted,
"you have brilliant subs. Use them." Real Madrid had the most productive subs in
the Champions League this season, with four goals and five assists coming from
players who have come on as substitutes.
And people wondered why I grew frustrated with The Special One... Neither
side managed to score in the remainder of the half, much to everyone's
frustration because that meant extra time.
When the whistle blew, one could feel the
tension in the air. As a few of our
insiders at the Bernabéu let up, you could hardly breathe. "You could see Saturday's match catching
up on them," said Lana Grace, a regular at Real Madrid matches, "they
look so tired." The home side
managed to regain the initiative at the start of extra time, but exhaustion
seemed to affect their decision-making. Los Blancos were presented with brilliant opportunities that they failed
to cash in on in those thirty minutes.
Kaká was presented with the ball in area, with a mere eight minutes
remaining. He was focused on Cristiano
Ronaldo, that he failed to notice that Pipita was open and in position for
glory. ¿Por qué, Ricky, por qué?
The game went on to a shootout.
It certainly felt like a bad Western.
Round One.
Alaba netted the opening penalty, but Cristiano, who netted one earlier
in the regular 90, failed to do so.
Bayern 1, Madrid 0. My heart
raced to a pulse of 172. Round Two. Gómez converted Bayern's second, but Kaká,
who typically does well in penalty shootouts, had his spot kick saved. Bayern 2, Madrid 0. By now, I had my doctor on call. Round Three.
Kroos missed, while Xabi Alonso scored.
Bayern 2, Madrid 1.
Hallelujah. We got one in. The final was not out of reach yet. Round Four.
Lahm missed, but so did Sergio Ramos, who sent the ball into orbit – all
power, no direction. Bayern 2, Madrid
1. Like José Mourinho, I was on my
knees, praying. If The Special One was on his knees? Lord help us.
If Bayern scored, it would be the end of our run in the CL. Round Five.
Oh how I hated Round Five. Bastian Schweinsteiger lined up, staring into
the eyes of San Iker. The world fell silent. This could be it. This could be the deciding factor. Schweinsteiger sent the ball straight down
the middle... and it was all over for los
Blancos. Bayern Munich would be
going through on this little game called Road to Munich.
But Madridistas all have something to be proud
about. While it was a giant blow to have
our chance of going to the CL Final slip through our fingers at home, it was a very exciting
game. As Casillas had to say, en español, of course, "It was a
very exciting game, but penalties are always a lottery." Real Madrid deserved this win, but luck was
not on their side. Bayern was a tough
opponent and played well throughout the competition. I could not think a more worthy opponent to
have faced in the semifinals. Congratulations, Bayern Munich,
congratulations.
And while the Champions League is no longer
ours to take, we still have La Liga. The
men face Andalusian team Sevilla this Sunday, April 29th, at the
Santiago Bernabéu. Until then, ¡Hala Madrid!
written by Gail Hidalgo
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