Wow what an exciting finish as we now have the finals for EUFA Champions League set as Dortmund eliminated Mbappe & PSG on the road, while Real Madrid pulled a miracle and scored 2 goals in the final 5 minutes to beat Bayern Munich & ruin Harry Kane’s homecoming to London June 1, where the Champions League finals will be played – again with No EPL team present. I can honestly say from the knockout stages on This Sweet 16 has been the most exciting Champions League play I have ever seen. So many games coming down to the wire – drama dripping from the TV with many of the games on network TV CBS and others on CBS Sports Network and of course Para+. CBS has done a fine job of coverage – though I was shocked when Tues game Dortmund vs PSG was not on CBS here in Indy. Anyway can’t wait till the finals Sat June 1 and 3 pm on CBS.
Leverkusen just keeps on not losing
Amazing watching German upstart Bayer Leverkusen as they continue to come from behind to tie games to stay unbeaten. This time in the Europa League semi’s – losing to Roma as home 2-0 with 20 minutes to play they scored twice including an extra time goal to seal the tie – after securing advancement with a 4-2 aggregate lead to the Europa Finals. That makes a European now record 49 game unbeaten string as they have not lost in any competition since the 23-24 season started in August. Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen side have avoided defeat in 32 Bundesliga games, five German Cup matches and 12 Europa League games. They have won 40 of these matches.
Indy 11 Win US Open Cup Game – host again May 22, Play Miami tonight 7 pm on ESPN+
Indy Eleven continued its trend of scoring early in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup matches this season, as a second-minute goal proved to be the match winner as Indy defeated USL Championship foe San Antonio FC, 2-0, in the Round of 32 Wednesday night at Butler University’s Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl. The Boys in Blue next travel to Miami FC Sunday for USL Championship action. Kick is slated for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Games on TV
Sun, May 12
7:30 am ESPN+ Norwich (Stewart) vs Leeds United Promotion Semi’s
11:30 am Tele/Peacock Man United vs Arsenal
12 Para+, Galazo Juventus (Mckinney, Weah) vs Salenritana
1:30 pm ESPN+ Bochum vs Bayer Leverkusen
1 pm CBS Houston Dash (Campbell) vs KC Current NWSL
2:45 pm Para+ Atalanta vs Roma
4:45 pm Fox Portland Timber vs Seattle Sounders
5:30 pm CBS Galazo Chicago Red Stars vs Utah Royals NWSL
7 pm ESPN Miami FC vs Indy Eleven
7:30 pm Ion San Diego Wave (Morgan, Girma) vs NY Gothem (Williams, Mewis)
10 pm Ion Portland Thorns (Smith)s vs Seattle Reign (Lavelle, Huerta, Cook) NWSL
Mon, May 13
USA 3 pm Aston Villa vs Liverpool
3 pm ESPN+ Barcelona vs Real Sociedad
Tues, May 14
3 pm USA Tottenham vs Man City
3 pm ESPN+ North Carolina vs Loudon United
Weds, May 15
3 pm USA Man United vs New Castle United
3 pm ESPN+ Atalanta vs Juventus (Mckinney, Weah)
Sat, May 18
9:30 am ESPN+ Dortmund vs Darmstadt
9:30 pm ESPN+ Bayer Leverkusen vs Ausburg
930 am ESPN+ Stuttgart vs Mgladbach (Scalley)
1”45 pm Fox Nashville SC vs Atlanta United
2:45 pm Para+ Torino vs AC Milan
Sun, May 19
10 am Arsenal vs Everton
10 am Shefield United (Trusty) vs Nottingham Forest (Reyna)
10 am Peacock Fulham (Jedi, Ream) vs Luton Town
10 am Manchester City vs West Ham United
Wed, May 22 Europa League Finals
3 pm Para+ Bayer Leverkusen vs Atalanta
Sat, June 1 Champons League Finals
3 pm CBS Real Madrid vs Dortmund
8 pm FS1 Pachuca vs Columbus Crew CCL Finals
5 pm TBS US Women vs Korea
Sat July 13
3 pm TNT ? ? US Women vs Mexico
Tues, July 16
7:30 pm TNT ? ? US Women vs Costa Rica
June 27 Copa America US Men Play Panama
July 24 starts US U23 Men & US Women In Olympics
(American’s in Parenthesis)
How to Watch Indy Eleven USL Championship Action
Champions League & Europa League Semi’s
Champions League final early look: Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund?
Real Madrid open as -175 favorites in UCL final
UCL talking points: Mbappé’s PSG legacy? How did Madrid win?
Joselu night of ‘dreams’ puts Real Madrid in final
Joselu the unlikely hero, but Madrid’s fight back was inevitable
Bayern fume at offside call ‘disgrace’ in UCL exit
With Mbappe leaving and another Champions League failure, what’s next for PSG?
The battle for extra Champions League places: Germany, Italy clinch spots
MLS
GK
Manuel Nuerer’s Saves and Drop for Bayern
Mary Erp Hardest Part about being a Keeper
Reffing
No he was not offsides Real Fans
The VAR Review: Explaining Bayern’s offside ‘goal’ vs. Real Madrid
Bayern fume at offside call ‘disgrace’ in UCL exit
Don, Shane & Alex doing National League GLC Ladies Games at Grand Park Sunday.
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Sunday
Norwich City v Leeds United – 7a on ESPN+
Josh Sargent and Norwich City face Leeds United in the first leg of their promotion semi-finals Sunday morning. Leeds won both prior matchups this season though Sargent missed the first matchup due to his ankle injury.
Fortuna Sittard v PSV Eindhoven – 8:30a on ESPN+
Malik Tillman, Ricardo Pepi, and PSV continue their league title celebrations as they take on Fortuna Sittard a week after officially clinching the league title.
Darmstadt v Hoffenheim – 9:30a on ESPN+
John Brooks was on the bench for the second straight match as Hoffenheim drew RB Leipzig last weekend. Hoffenheim are just a point back of Freiburg for Europa Conference League qualifying with two matches to play and they must face Bayern Munich in next weekend’s finale so they will be looking to make up ground as they face last place Darmstadt on Sunday.
Atletico Madrid v Celta Vigo – 10:15a on ESPN Deportes and ESPN+
Luca de la Torre was a halftime substitute as Celta Vigo fell behind early but came back to beat 10 man Villarreal and pull eight points out of the relegation zone with four matches yet to play.
Bayern Munich v Wolfsburg – 11:30a on ESPN+
Kevin Paredes started at leftback and played 82’ as Wolfsburg defeated Darmstadt last weekend. With the win Wolfsburg are in twelfth place and officially clear of relegation. They face a Bayern Munich side coming off a brutal Champions League exit after giving up two goals in the final minutes to fall to Real Madrid midweek.
Juventus v Salernitana – Noon on Paramount+
Weston McKennie and Tim Weah both started last weekend as Juventus drew 1-1 with Roma. Juventus have a six point lead for Champions League qualification with three league matches remaining and have a Copa Italia final against Atalanta on Wednesday so we could see heavy rotation for their side on Sunday as they look to best set themselves up to hoist a trophy this season.
Montpellier v Monaco – 3p on beIN Sports
Folarin Balogun came off the bench last weekend as Monaco defeated Clermont 4-1. With two matches remaining Monaco hold a six point lead over Lille for Champions League qualification and need just a point from their final two matches to secure their spot in next seasons competition.
Real Betis v Almeria – 3p on ESPN Deportes and ESPN+
Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis defeated Osasuna 2-0 last weekend to stay within two points of sixth place Real Sociedad. The teams will face off directly in the penultimate match of the season so Real Betis control their qualification hopes in their own hands and face an Almeria side whose relegation fate has already been sealed this weekend.
Portland Timbers v Seattle Sounders – 4:45p on FOX
Cristian Roldan, Jordan Morris, and the Seattle Sounders take on their west coast rivals, the Portland Timbers, in Sunday’s MLS action on FOX.
Bayer Leverkusen set European record with longest unbeaten run, through to Europa League final
By Omar Garrick and Will Jeanesn May 9, 2024
Bayer Leverkusen’s 2-2 draw against Roma in the Europa League on Thursday night means the German side have gone 49 games unbeaten and broken the record for the longest streak without losing to a European club since the introduction of UEFA club competitions in 1955.
Leverkusen were leading their tie against Roma by two goals following the opening clash, but looked set to lose their first game of the season after two penalties from Leandro Paredes had put the Italian club ahead.An own goal from Gianluca Mancini in the 82nd minute, however, and a 97th-minute equaliser from Josip Stanisic ensured Leverkusen progressed to the Europa League final following a 4-2 aggregate victory.
Stanisic’s goal, meanwhile, was Leverkusen’s 17th scored in stoppage time this season.
Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka said to TNT Sports: “This is football. It is the nice part of football. For the mentality we showed again today against a big team to come back like this and go through to the final. We are more than happy today.
“You see the desire from the team, we didn’t want to slow down. We wanted to score the next goal to keep going unbeaten, 49 times now. We are proud of it.”
Leverkusen made it through to the Europa League final on Thursday night (Marvin Ibo Guengoer – GES Sportfoto/Getty Images)
The unbeaten run, which is across all competitions and started with an 8-0 victory over FC Teutonia Ottensen in the German Cup on August 12, has surpassed Portuguese club Benfica’s mark of 48 consecutive games without losing from December 1963 to February 1965.
That Benfica team was spearheaded by Eusebio and they won the Portuguese league and cup over the course of their unbeaten run.
Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen side have avoided defeat in 32 Bundesliga games, five German Cup matches and 12 Europa League games. They have won 40 of these matches.
Unsurprisingly, this has left them on the brink of a treble. They have already won the Bundesliga — ending Bayern Munich’s 11-season dominance as a result — face second-tier Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final on May 25 and Atalanta in the Europa League final on May 22.
If Leverkusen also avoid defeat in their final two league games they will become the first side in Bundesliga history to go a whole season unbeaten.
Here are the five longest unbeaten runs by a European club since 1955:
Longest unbeaten runs
| CLUB | COUNTRY | GAMES UNBEATEN | YEARS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bayer Leverkusen | Germany | 49 | 2023-2024 |
| Benfica | Portugal | 48 | 1963-1965 |
| Dinamo Zagreb | Croatia | 45 | 2014-2015 |
| Rijeka | Croatia | 45 | 2016-2017 |
| Rangers | Scotland | 44 | 1992-1993 |
Messi finds camera, tells whole world he loathes new MLS rule
Jason Anderson May 11, 2024 9:23 pm ET
MLS has some new rules, and Lionel Messi thinks at least one of them should go.During Inter Miami’s 3-2 win at CF Montréal, Messi quite literally looked into a broadcast camera to announce his take on MLS’s new guidelines for players who need to leave the field for treatment.Under the new regulations, a player who stays down injured for longer than 15 seconds must leave the field for a minimum of two minutes, and is not allowed back until the referee waves them on.Messi got to give the new rule a spin after an ugly 40th minute challenge from Montréal defender George Campbell on Saturday.Messi understandably stayed down for well over a minute after the heavy contact with his shin and foot. Since referee Drew Fischer didn’t book Campbell, Messi was required to trudge off the field with Miami’s training staff.
The icon got to the touchline at Stade Saputo in the 43rd minute, watching on as play resumed for only a few seconds. The next stoppage? Another Montréal foul, this time with Samuel Piette clipping Luis Suárez in prime territory for Messi to fire a direct free kick on goal.
However, Fischer enforced the new regulations, meaning Messi had to stand on and watch. That’s when Messi offered up his take on the rule, which was the product of some experimentation in MLS Next Pro dating back to the 2022 season.
Finding a midfield camera and looking directly into it, Messi shook his head and said in Spanish “With this type of rule, we are doing badly.”
With 10 men on the pitch and Messi essentially rolling his eyes, the Herons got a remedy to their complaints.
Matías Rojas stepped in for Messi on the dead ball, delivering a sensational, curling free kick from nearly 30 yards out.Messi would have to continue standing on the touchline until the 45th minute, when fourth official Michael Venne allowed the No. 10 to make his way back into the match.
If that weren’t enough, Miami ran afoul of another new MLS rule in the game’s final moments. Protecting a narrow lead as stoppage time loomed, Suárez was replaced by Leo Campana. However, the Uruguayan took longer than the maximum of 10 seconds MLS has mandated for players to leave the field.
The league has issued a new rule where, in that situation, the substitute entering play must wait a full minute before coming on. Venne enforced the rule, setting off vociferous protests from Suárez, Campana, and Miami manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino (who at least recovered his composure to drag Suárez away before the situation got worse).
Real Madrid’s Champions League comeback – you can live it, but can’t explain it
By Guillermo Ra
May 9, 2024
Vinicius Junior was down on the Santiago Bernabeu pitch, singing to the stadium’s packed south stand as if he were a fan among them, megaphone in hand.
The match had just ended and Real Madrid had come from behind again at their home stadium on another hugely dramatic night.
At Wembley on June 1, Carlo Ancelotti’s team will be looking to win the club’s 15th European Cup/Champions League title. Their remarkable competition record already places them well ahead of AC Milan’s seven trophies and the six won by Bayern Munich and Liverpool.
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After drawing 2-2 in the first leg in Germany, Madrid dominated Bayern in Wednesday’s return match, but a series of misfortunes left them on the brink of elimination. That was until the magic of the Bernabeu appeared again.
Joselu’s dramatic late double turned the tie around as Madrid came back once more, another ‘remontada’. The celebrations were wild-eyed, jubilant, all-encompassing. Everyone was in shock, including the players.
On their way to a 14th title in 2022, Madrid performed three dramatic comebacks in the Champions League knockout stages, beating Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City to reach the final against Liverpool.
It happened again. How?
“It’s something inexplicable,” said manager Carlo Ancelotti.
Champions League nights are always occasions to savour at the Santiago Bernabeu and this was no exception, but the way the evening started, you could tell there would be something special in store.
https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/1An9LpgqJtO8oPcBHdh2Sb?utm_source=generator
When Madrid’s players left their Valdebebas training ground to travel to the Bernabeu on Wednesday, they were seen off by over 300 boys and girls from 17 of the club’s youth teams.
They held up a 15-metre-long banner at the end of a guard of honour. “Your heart, our badge,” it read.
The team bus was headed for the stadium, for the ‘Busiana’, a word not included in any official dictionary but already deeply ingrained in the collective mindset of Madrid fans.
Just as they often do in the build-up to important games, Madrid fans gathered along the Avenida de Concha Espina, one of the main thoroughfares leading towards the Bernabeu. At 7:30pm local time, 90 minutes before kick-off, thousands of supporters were there as white and purple flares were set off in the intense sunshine.
Smoke filled the air and made it almost impossible to see anything at all, until you could suddenly spot the horses of the mounted police cutting through the mist, closely followed by Madrid’s white team bus.
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The coaching staff and players, who had encouraged fans to gather, filmed footage on their phones and shouted excitedly from behind the darkened windows of the vehicle.
“Si se puede, si se puede (Yes, we can),” chanted fans in return.
This is the ‘Busiana’ and the same had happened before City’s visit in the quarter-final first leg — when the Premier League side were more feared than Bayern. But this was on a new scale.
Madrid fans let off flares as the team bus approaches the Bernabeu (Diego Radames/Europa Press via Getty Images)
The mood continued inside the ground as kick-off approached. “Real Madrid never give up,” read one sign in the stands. All around the stadium, white and purple banners appeared again and two tifos were displayed, one in the north end with the image of the European Cup, another in the south end with the Madrid crest.
This was the biggest game held at the Bernabeu since its recent renovation — and the newly installed roof was again closed to help keep the atmosphere in. This has been done by Madrid several times this season — a deliberate policy.
More than 76,000 people sang “Hala Madrid y Nada Mas” (the song in tribute to La Decima, the 10th European Cup won in Lisbon in 2014) before kick-off, their voices booming and bouncing back. It seemed to have the desired effect. Ancelotti’s players were at full tilt in the opening stages. They started well on top — in contrast to how it went at Munich.
By the 12th minute, Vinicius Jr had already shot against the post and the Bernabeu was lamenting. In all the excitement and encouragement, there was a lot of tension and nerves did not ease as Madrid continued to miss chances, lowering the spirits of their fans.
What it’s like to play at Real Madrid’s Bernabeu fortress on a Champions League night
The 4,000 or so Munich supporters, who were also very noisy despite being located up in the fourth tier, silenced the Bernabeu at times. Vinicius Jr, who was a constant threat, asked for encouragement from the home support on three occasions in the second half, with the game still goalless and the score level at 2-2 on aggregate.
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When the deadlock was broken, after Madrid target Alphonso Davies scored a sensational strike on the counter-attack, Madrid’s fans were silenced. There were still over 20 minutes left to play, but the home side somehow looked short, unlikely to capture the comeback spirit of other famous nights as further chances were missed and Nacho’s foul on Joshua Kimmich meant an equaliser was ruled out.
Harry Kane almost made it 2-0 for Bayern. Thomas Tuchel’s players began to waste time, throwing themselves to the ground at the slightest opportunity. With just minutes remaining, it looked over.
But momentum had been building. Fans had not given up. Scarves were still whirling, voices were still rising. Madrid’s stadium took on its role of rallying the team until the very end. Songs were being sung, but at times it just sounded like a single continuous wave of noise, an indistinct roar as thousands raised the volume in unison.
Whatever the workings, however it was carried, Joselu heard the call. And his two goals in three minutes (88th, 91st) unleashed the purest form of madness you could possibly imagine witnessing in a football ground.
They had done it again.
Joselu celebrates at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night (Helios de la Rubia/Real Madrid via Getty Images)
It turned out that Joselu’s late goals weren’t actually all that late — another quarter of an hour was played as stoppage time was filled with stoppages. It was so long that Bayern rallied themselves, despite having appeared totally broken by the equaliser. They even put the ball in the net — although the whistle had already blown for offside before Matthijs de Ligt’s shot rolled in.
When the final whistle did come, Madrid’s players threw themselves on the floor in utter joy and relief. They could not believe it. Nobody in the stadium could.
Real Madrid’s new Champions League comeback hero Joselu – and his long road to destiny
There was no time to think about the why or the how, it was just time to linger in the glorious scale of it all. Vinicius Jr ran straight to the south stand, where Madrid’s La Grada fans congress in a distinctive sea of white, and made himself the master of the party.
His team-mates followed him, climbing the billboards to get closer to supporters, balancing so as not to fall. Meanwhile, one of the club’s employees, Alejandro Mori, brought out a basket of shirts on which a London bus was depicted with the slogan: ‘A por la 15’ (Let’s go for the 15th).
Ancelotti, visibly moved, joined the players and fans to sing Madrid’s anthem again.
Antonio Rudiger, Ancelotti and Vinicius Jr singing with fans (Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
“They are incredible, they are the best in the world by far,” Jude Bellingham told TNT Sports. “Coming here (to the Bernabeu) is the reason we turn so many games around, why, when we are down in the first half of the season, we always manage to come back in the second half.
“They give you an energy that you can’t find anywhere else.”
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The crowd remained in their seats. Nobody wanted it to stop, they were ready to celebrate all night and the team did a lap of honour. Antonio Rudiger picked up a plastic chair and handed it over to David Alaba — a symbol of the comeback celebrations that took place here in 2022 when the Austrian defender had done the same.
“The fans made the difference tonight, as they have done many times before. I can’t recall how many times. It seems like a habit now, what we do. We are delighted,” Ancelotti said at his press conference.
While the Italian spoke, members of Madrid’s staff and players were jumping and dancing barefoot in the dressing room. They had finished their celebration by running hand-in-hand from one end of the pitch to another and back. Another image to remember. Later, some of them went up to the Bernabeu boxes to be with family members and others went to a nearby restaurant called De Maria, where the party continued. They had waited to celebrate another La Liga title at the weekend, with the Champions League in mind. And now they were in another final.They had done it again.(Top photo: Burak Akbulut/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Kane subbed, Joselu’s goals and a huge row: 20 mad minutes that decided Real-Bayern epic
By Tim SpiersMay 9, 2024
There are 84 minutes on the clock at the Bernabeu, but there is plenty of football still to be played. This is Real Madrid in the Champions League – it’s not over until it’s over.And yet it is at this moment that perhaps the most perplexing substitution in this season’s Champions League takes place, setting off a chain of events that sees Bayern Munich snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, 1999-style, in 20 mad minutes.How on earth did this happen?
85mins: There are six minutes of regular time left, with 14 minutes of stoppage time still to be played. A total of 20 minutes and 27 seconds to go.
It is at this point Thomas Tuchel decides to send on Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, aged 35 and scorer of no goals since last November, to replace Harry Kane, scorer of 23 in the same timeframe.
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Off, too, is Jamal Musiala, substituted for the experience of Thomas Muller (aged 34). South Korean defender Kim Min-jae, who had a shocker in the first leg, came on 10 minutes earlier.
By contrast, Real Madrid have sent on Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga, Brahim Diaz and Joselu.
It’s like in the first Austin Powers film when Robert Wagner is dealt a king when playing blackjack; he twists and says he likes to live dangerously.
Powers — aka Tuchel — has a two and a three… and sticks, saying: “I also like to live dangerously.”
Did Tuchel think it was won? He suggested in the aftermath that Kane was struggling with a back injury. Even so, having come so far and with the game in the balance, it feels peculiar.
Harry Kane is taken off by Bayern Munich at the Bernabeu (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
86mins: Immediately after the changes, Bayern have a chance to kill the tie and secure their place in the final. They break, three-on-one initially, before some slack passes (one goes behind Alphonso Davies) and then Aleksandar Pavlovic struggling to stay onside means they cock it up.
A Musiala or Kane through ball, anyone? Although to be fair, Bayern have been messing up those break opportunities all night.
88mins: Manuel Neuer’s throw to the left flank is intercepted by Modric and Madrid have only one attacking plan in mind – find Vinicius Junior. That’s been their primary mode of attack for the entire second half and with good reason; his marker, Joshua Kimmich, has been ridden and flailed harder than a bucking bronco and could have PTSD by the time the night is done.
Vinicius Jr cuts inside (yep) Kimmich, his shot is poor and bounces into Neuer’s midriff but also off it… and Joselu reacts first to slam the ball home.
The place goes berserk. Joselu, who isn’t even a Real Madrid player (he is on loan from Espanyol), kisses the badge. The game restarts with the whole stadium on its feet. Momentum = accrued.
Joselu equalises for Real (Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images)
90mins: Bayern are rattled. Eric Dier misplaces a pass out of his own box but makes up for it when he kicks away from Vinicius Jr as he is about to shoot and then chucks his body in the way of Diaz’s goalbound effort. It goes behind for a corner…
91mins: Modric’s corner causes carnage, mostly because Bayern have forgotten how to defend. There is ping pong in the box, they can’t clear the ball or form a defensive line, they are just bodies writhing everywhere. The ball goes out to Antonio Rudiger whose excellent cross reaches Joselu and he beats Neuer with a reflex finish. Both players are unmarked.
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Drama… the flag is up. Jude Bellingham puts his hands to his head.
92mins: VAR rules the goal was onside. Joselu sinks to his knees — he has scored with two of his first three touches of the ball — the subs race on, Neuer looks completely bereft, Tuchel doesn’t have any words, he just puts his hands against his temple, perhaps trying to erase the memory of the last four minutes, perhaps attempting to turn back time with his mind.
He semaphores with his arms but no one can hear him. The Bernabeu is going nuts.
Joselu, the 34-year-old journeyman formerly of Stoke, Hannover and Alaves, elevated to a starring role in one of the biggest matches in football.
It’s akin to Kieffer Moore joining Arsenal on loan and winning a Champions League semi-final.
Joselu celebrates his winner (David Ramos/Getty Images)
103mins: There is still time for Bayern. Choupo-Moting wins the ball back, a long ball goes into the box, Noussair Mazraoui goes up for the ball, the flag goes up (as with the Joselu winner, it’s another premature flag for a tight offside even though assistant refs are told not to do this) and the referee whistles (again, even if he sees the flag, he should let play continue), Muller wins the loose ball and Matthijs de Ligt drives it into the net. Offside given, perhaps incorrectly, but the Madrid defenders stopped at the whistle, as did motionless goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.It’s a clear mistake from the officials. How many times do we see strikers played in on goal, clearly offside, the assistant doesn’t flag and we go through the whole rigmarole of seeing the striker score/miss before a flag is finally raised. This was the opposite and no wonder Bayern are annoyed, albeit would play have continued like it did if there was no whistle? No.
105mins: It’s over. Incredible drama, an amazing quickfire comeback double from Joselu, Madrid head to Wembley and Bayern head to the beach, their trophy-less season done.Did the subs cost Tuchel? Not just Kane and Musiala, but sending Kim on and changing the shape?Former Bayern midfielder Owen Hargreaves is spitting in the TNT studio: “To take off a guy that’s scored 44 goals, who’s the most durable player pretty much anywhere, and you bring on another striker in Choupo-Moting… maybe he wanted height for corners, I don’t know. But you cannot take him off.”
Paul Scholes questions Tuchel’s arrogance in thinking it was won.“Kane didn’t look tired,” Scholes says. “He was still an outlet and Bayern were getting chances on the counter-attack and he’s brilliant at that, as we saw with Alphonso Davies’ goal, his pass out to him.“The biggest one for me was Kim. After last week he’s had a lot of stick, I think the last place he wanted to be tonight was on that football pitch. As soon as Kim came on, the first 30 seconds he was all over the place.”At the end, though, there can only be one conclusion: Madrid’s rubbish ex-Stoke striker is better than Bayern’s. This is Champions League heritage.
(Top photos: Getty Images)
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