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In this first round of semi-finals, the tension on the pitch is palpable. Real Madrid welcome Bayern Munich to the Santiago Bernabeu, while Paris struggle to find their feet in Dortmund.
A Face-Off Between Titans
The meeting between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid is a spectacle of twists and turns. Despite the Bavarians’ initial dominance in the first fifteen minutes, they failed to capitalize. Real Madrid finally opened the scoring thanks to a masterful pass from Toni Kroos to Vinicius Jr., who surprised the five Bavarian players around him and found the back of the net in the 24th minute. The game continued with relentless attacks from both sides, stumbling over goalkeepers and well-organized defenses.
The Tide Turns
After the break, spurred on by Thomas Tuchel’s impassioned speech, Bayern regained their attacking momentum. After conceding a goal, the Bavarians began to push forward again. Leroy Sané’s dazzling run down the right wing took him past Mendy on the edge of the Madrid box, and he unleashed an unstoppable shot past Lunin to level the score at 1-1 in the 53rd minute.
The Germans Want More
Four minutes later, Musiala provoked a penalty in the Madrid area. Kane converted it for his 43rd goal of the season, making it 2-1 to Bayern in the 57th minute.
Real Madrid Don’t Give Up
Despite the surprise and Ancelotti’s skepticism, Real Madrid escaped a bigger deficit several times. Madrid’s defense resisted the German onslaught. And, as is often the case at such moments, the solution comes from a key player. Kim was fouled in the box, and a penalty was awarded. This time, Vinicius took the penalty. With a perfect feint, he beat Neuer to make it 2-2 in the 83rd minute.
Bayern and Real Madrid will meet again in a week’s time to decide who will earn a place in the final and the right to claim the ultimate crown.
Paris and Dortmund, Neck and Neck
In an intense tactical duel, the match between Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain began with a cautious approach on both sides. Both teams opted for a low-key game, favoring short passes rather than long openings.
Paris Saint-Germain had the first chance in the 11th minute, but Dembélé missed the target. In the 14th minute, the Germans hit back with the first shot on target of the match through Sabitzer, who was well saved by Donnarumma from a tight angle.
The Pass that Changed Everything
The decisive moment came in the 36th minute, when Schlotterbeck delivered a masterly pass from his own half, allowing Füllkrug to run on alone to the goal and beat the Parisian keeper to open the scoring.
The goal freed the Germans to step up their attacks, and they came close to doubling their lead through Sabitzer in the 44th minute, whose shot was superbly saved by Donnarumma.
Paris Push on to the End
In the second half, Paris Saint-Germain took the initiative and put the pressure on Borussia, twice hitting the uprights, first with a shot from Mbappé in the 51st minute, then with an attempt from Hakimi shortly afterwards.
The pressure intensified with a series of chances for the Parisians, but Kobel came up trumps with several crucial saves. The game then opened up, with attempts on both sides, but neither team managed to change the scoreline despite a few scares, notably a shot from Dembélé in the 72nd minute. At the final whistle, the score remained unchanged.
With everything still to play for next Tuesday in the Parc des Princes, Kylian can still believe.
