Real Madrid battled until the very end but fell 2–1 against Bayern Munich at the Bernabéu in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. Neverthless, Álvaro Arbeloa’s men will feel like the tie is still very much there for the taking.
The German giants were the better side in the first half, and Luis Díaz put the visitors in front with a well-crafted play right before the break. Los Blancos were then stunned less than a minute into the second half, as Harry Kane buried Bayern’s second to put Arbeloa’s side on the brink.
But Real Madrid didn’t surrender, and Kylian Mbappé gave his team a lifeline with a late strike that keeps the tie wide open heading into the second leg at the Allianz Arena next Wednesday, where a ticket to the semifinals is up for grabs.
It was an absolute spectacle of a game from two of Europe’s historic powerhouses. Here’s four takeaways from Real Madrid’s defeat to Bayern Munich.
Los Blancos Live to Fight Another Day
For a moment there, it looked like the tie could’ve been over before the second leg in Bavaria next week, but Real Madrid’s resilience was on full display in the final 30 minutes of the match, and it even looked like another miraculous Bernabéu comeback was in the cards.
In what could’ve been a reckless gamble, Los Blancos went all out to cut the two-goal deficit, and the strategy ended up paying dividends. Despite leaving gaping holes for Bayern’s prolific attack to exploit, Madrid attacked in numbers, and eventually Mbappé found a way to beat Manuel Neures in seemingly the millionth time of asking.
Even if the visitors squandered a number of chances to put the game away and later to restore their two-goal advantage, somehow Arbeloa’s men managed to hang on. At the same time, Los Blancos’ attackers had time and space to exploit behind Bayern’s defense, and although they might feel like they could’ve found an equalizer, they’ll be confident in their chances of overcoming a defense that looked there for the taking in the second leg, especially if Neuer can’t replicate his vintage performance.
A game that could’ve easily gotten out of hand was saved by the game changing individual quality Los Blancos have in their ranks—did you see that Trent Alexander-Arnold performance, Thomas Tuchel?
It’s that same individual quality that makes it impossible to discard Los Blancos producing another magical European night in a week’s time and why Bayern might regret letting Arbeloa’s side escape the first leg trailing by only the slimmest of margins.
Serious Questions Regarding Álvaro Carreras
It was a very difficult night for summer signing Álvaro Carreras, who struggled against the quality of Michale Olise and overall looked to lack the intensity required for a match of this magnitude.
From the starting whistle, the Spaniard was on the backfoot, constantly a step too late in his attempts to stop the French international in their own individual battle. Even Arda Güler was more stout in his marking of the talented winger.
Carreras was also spotted at the scene of the crime in both Bayern goals, cynically signaling for an offside flag when it was him who left everyone onside for Diaz’s opener before mishandling a ball with a poor touch that led directly to the action of Kane’s strike.
Frustrations got the better of him as he made clumsy mistakes and resorted to late fouls almost as a form to unleash his anger at himself. Incredibly, Carreras stayed on the pitch the entirety of the game.
Fran García more than held his own while Carreras spent most of March in the treatment room. Although Carreras was mostly solid in the first half of the season, tonight, Arbeloa will probably will feel like he made a mistake in his choice of starting left back.
Arda Güler Proves His Worth
The main reason why Real Madrid were able to halt Bayern’s early suffocating onslaught was thanks to the quality under pressure of Arda Güler, who pulled Los Blancos out of deep water.
Dropping lower and drifting slightly centrally from his starting position on the left wing, Güler was an outlet to receive the ball from his defender to bypass the first wave of the visitors press or simply to control clearances from a constantly tested backline. Although the Türkiye international was routinely under pressure, he constantly made the right decision.
Knowing he had little time to operate due to the fierce incoming press, Güler quickly got rid of the ball looking for runners in space. His distribution was on point and allowed Madrid to catch their breath at worst, but mostly, start dangerous counter attacks behind the press.
Once Madrid advanced to a mid-block, a perfectly weighted Güler through-ball to Kylian Mbappé likely should’ve been buried to give the hosts the lead against the run of play. He also began finding pockets of space inside Bayern’s halfway line to supply Vinicius Junior on the wing and Mbappé centrally.
In a game where Madrid looked overwhelmed by the intensity and quality of the visitors, Güler stood-out for his poise and confidence. It’s been an up-and-down season for the 21-year-old, but tonight, he showcased why he continues to feature prominently and why his future remains undeniably bright.
Real Madrid’s Season on Life Support
As mentioned previously, Real Madrid still have a realistic chance at turning the tie around and advancing to the semifinals, but it will take the best performance of the season from Arbeloa’s men to avoid going trophy-less for the second campaign in a row.
In the matter of two games following the international break, two consecutive defeats have seen Real Madrid fall seven points behind Barcelona in the La Liga title race and now have a mountain to climb to keep their pursuit of a 16th Champions League crown alive.
With under two months to go in the campaign, Real Madrid’s season is, in many ways, on life support. Beating Girona in La Liga this weekend is imperative, but even then, it would take a significant Barça collapse for Los Blancos to dethrone them as Spanish champions.
That context only heightens the importance of figuring out a way of advancing past Bayern Munich next week by any means possible, because going two straight seasons without lifting a major trophy is simply inexcusable for a team of Real Madrid’s quality.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Four Real Madrid Takeaways From a Valiant Effort in Champions League Defeat .
