Bayern Munich took control of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday with a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, earning a slender first-leg advantage after a high-tempo contest in the Spanish capital.
Vincent Kompany’s side struck just before halftime when Serge Gnabry slipped a precise pass through for Luis Diaz, who beat the offside trap and fired low past keeper Andriy Lunin in the 41st minute.
Bayern doubled their lead seconds after the restart as Michael Olise squared for Harry Kane to finish neatly from the edge of the box following a swift counter-attack.
Real improved after the hour and Kylian Mbappe pulled one back in the 74th minute, turning in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s low cross at the far post.
Manuel Neuer then denied Mbappe and Vinicius Jr with a series of sharp saves as the hosts pressed for an equaliser that never came, as Bayern headed home with a slender yet significant advantage.
The winners of the two-legged tie will face either Paris St Germain or Liverpool, who played their first leg yesterday, in the semi-finals.
Bayern imposed themselves from the outset and went close to scoring in the ninth minute, only for Alvaro Carreras to produce a goal-line clearance to deny Dayot Upamecano from point-blank range after Real failed to clear their lines.
The visitors dominated possession in the first half, seeing more than 65% of the ball as Alvaro Arbeloa’s side dropped into a deep defensive block and looked to break on the counter.
Real nonetheless created chances. Vinicius forced a superb one-handed save from Neuer in the 17th minute, the Bayern goalkeeper tipping away a low drive from the edge of the box at full stretch.
—Reuters
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