Ronaldo double sinks Bayern Munich
Real Madrid came from behind to beat 10-man Bayern Munich 2-1 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at the Allianz Arena yesterday night.
Arturo Vidal sent Bayern ahead in the 25th minute of the contest, but the Chilean missed a penalty on the stroke of the interval, before Cristiano Ronaldo’s double in the second period turned the last-eight tie around.
Ronaldo’s brace in Germany moved him onto 100 European club goals, and has placed Los Blancos in a commanding position ahead of the return match at the Bernabeu next week.
The big team news in the Bayern camp was the absence of leading scorer Robert Lewandowski, who failed to make the squad after picking up a shoulder injury against Borussia Dortmund at the weekend.
Thomas Muller was Lewandowski’s replacement in the final third, while Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery also started for a team that were missing key centre-back Mats Hummels due to an ankle problem.
As for Real Madrid, injuries to Pepe and Raphael Varane meant that Nacho started alongside Sergio Ramos in central defence, but there were no surprises further forward as Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Ronaldo were all selected.
As expected, it was Bayern that dominated the possession in the early exchanges, with the German side forcing three corners in the opening five minutes as they put pressure on the Real Madrid backline.
The visitors had the chance to cause Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer some concern in the 16th minute when Ronaldo stood over a free kick some 30 yards from goal, but the number seven’s effort missed the post.
Two minutes later, Los Blancos came mightily close to making the breakthrough when Benzema met a super cross from Toni Kroos, but the Frenchman saw his downward header hit the crossbar, and Neuer was on hand to pick up the pieces.
David Alaba looked to bend one into the far corner in the 23rd minute as Bayern started to click once again, although the Austrian’s effort was always moving wide of Keylor Navas’s post.
Bayern made the breakthrough two minutes later, however, when Chilean midfielder Vidal rose highest inside the Real Madrid box to head a Thiago corner past Navas, who stood no chance.
Vidal had a golden chance to double his tally for the night in the 41st minute when Robben skipped past the challenge of Kroos before picking out the head of the Chilean with a wonderful cross, but his effort was over Navas’s crossbar.
Real Madrid had two opportunities to level the scores late in the first period through Ronaldo and Kroos, but the former saw his powerful effort saved by Neuer, before the latter curled wide of the post from inside the Bayern box.