Real to face Dortmund in Champions League final
REAL Madrid will play Borussia Dortmund in the 2024 Uefa Champions League final in June after beating Bayern Munich 2-1 in the semi-final second leg thanks to Spanish forward Joselu’s last-gasp double on Wednesday.
Visitors Bayern Munich broke the deadlock in the 68th minute at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Canada’s Alphonso Davies scored a stunner by sending the ball to the far corner that beat Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin to give Bayern a 1-0 lead.
Several minutes later, Real Madrid’s equaliser was disallowed after a VAR review as the Whites’ Nacho had fouled Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid piled on the pressure and Joselu scored in the 88th minute to level the showdown following a mistake by Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
Real Madrid hero Joselu was on the scoresheet again as he made an easy finish after a pass by Antonio Rudiger from the edge of the box in the 91st minute as the crowd at Santiago Bernabeu went crazy.
Matthijs de Ligt netted very late on for Bayern Munich, but it was ruled out for offside. Bayern players protested against the referee as the position was not reviewed on VAR.
Real Madrid secured a 2-1 win (4-3 on aggregate) to march to this season’s Champions League final at London’s Wembley Stadium on June 1.
German Bundesliga side Dortmund on Tuesday eliminated French giants Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to qualify for the final. They won 10 on the night and 2-0 on aggregate.
The Black and Yellows won the second leg match with a header by German defender Mats Hummels in the 50th minute at Parc Des Princes. PSG hit the crossbar four times.
Dortmund won the first leg 10 with Niclas Fullkrug’s goal in Germany on May 1.
Dortmund previously reached the final in 2013, when they lost 21 to their Bundesliga rivals Bayern at Wembley.
Dortmund, the 1997 champions, are seeking their second Champions League triumph.
Real Madrid are the tournament’s most successful club with 14 titles, the last in 2022, when the Spanish powerhouse beat Liverpool 1-0 at Stade de France.