Vinicius Junior scored twice as Real Madrid drew 2-2 with Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final clash.
Goals from Leroy Sane and Harry Kane cancelled out Vinicius’ opener to give the Bundesliga side the advantage before the Brazilian netted a late penalty to level proceedings.
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The home side dominated most of the match, with Madrid willing to sit in and absorb the pressure like they did in the previous round against Manchester City.
Kane nearly scored one of the goals of the season from the halfway line as he attempted to catch out Andriy Lunin with an audacious effort, but the England international put a bit too much power on the strike and it sailed safely over the bar.
The visitors broke the deadlock not long after as Vinicius Junior latched on to a perfectly timed through ball from Toni Kross in the 24th minute and kept his composure to slot past Manuel Neuer and stun the Allianz Arena.
Bayern responded well and continued to control the ball.
Their patient build-up was rewarded early on in the second half when Sane picked up the ball and drove into the penalty box, unleashing a powerful low drive that rippled the back of the net and drew the home side level.
Four minutes later, Bayern had a penalty after Jamal Musiala – who had tormented Lucas Vazquez all night – danced into the box and was brought down, prompting the referee to point to the spot.
BAYERN MUNICH HAVE TURNED IT ALL AROUND 🔄
Harry Kane with a cool kick from the spot 🥶#UCL pic.twitter.com/627QjFBaPU
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 30, 2024
Kane stepped up and calmly put the ball into the back of the net, altering his usual approach of smashing home and instead stuttering in his run-up and sending Lunin the wrong way.
Eric Dier had a great opportunity to put Bayern 3-1 up after meeting a corner with a powerful header, but he directed his attempt straight at the goalkeeper and headed back to his own box with his head in his hands.
Madrid switched things up for the final 15 minutes while they searched for an equaliser and Rodrygo won a penalty at the other end after Kim-min Jae brought him down inside the six-yard box.
Vinicius stepped up and made no mistake to keep Madrid in the driving seat heading back to the Santiago Bernabeu.
A close contest in Munich
3⃣rd consecutive season reaching 20 goals in all competitions
3⃣rd consecutive season scoring in #UCL semi-finals
Vinicius Jr 𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒 on the big stage 😤 pic.twitter.com/VZJOc4doyY
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 30, 2024
Both teams will fancy their chances of progressing to the final at Wembley but Madrid have the advantage heading back to Spain.
Jude Bellingham had a quiet night for Los Blancos but Madrid can take it as a positive considering they still managed to escape with a draw.
It was an experienced performance from the Bayern players and Thomas Tuchel, who knows what it takes to deliver in the Champions League.
Serge Gnabry and Alphonso Davies both started on the bench in Munich having just returned from injury, but they could start in the second leg, which would be a big boost for the German side.
However, they did sell themselves short in the closing stages to hand the initiative to their opponents when they meet again next week.
