#1 Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid, 2012
One of the greatest European rivalries of all time, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are powerhouses in their respective leagues and their clashes have always been electric, to say the least. This contest, in particular, was a closely contested affair and one of the defining matches in their rivalry.
First Leg – Bayern Munich 2-1 Real Madrid
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(Video Courtesy – TehFuriousD TV YouTube Channel)
Despite the rapturous crowd at the start of the match, it was the visitors who started strongly as Karim Benzema forced a good save off Manuel Neuer. Their dominance did not end in a goal and Franck Ribery scored from a Toni Kroos corner to put the Bavarian club in front.
Cristiano Ronaldo had an off-night for the visitors but was involved in the equaliser as his pull-back was tapped home by Mesut Ozil to bring Madrid level despite Bayern continuing to threaten. Bayern marksman Mario Gomez wasted a host of chances as Madrid defenders Sergio Ramos and Pepe struggled to deal with him all game.
As the match looked set to end in a draw, Gomez finally found the target from a Philipp Lahm cross in the 90th minute to secure a last-gasp victory for Jupp Heynckes’ side and incidentally this was Gomez’s 40th goal of the season.
Second Leg – Real Madrid 2-1 Bayern Munich (Bayern win 3-1 on penalties)
(Video Courtesy – GugaTV YouTube Channel)
Similar to the first leg, it was Jose Mourinho’s side who started on the front foot and this time around Ronaldo was on form. He converted his 25th successive spot-kick for Madrid in the opening minutes as David Alaba was adjudged of handling the ball from Angel Di Maria’s cross. The Portuguese scored his second with a low finish in the 14th minute as Ozil set him up.
The frenetic action continued as both goalkeepers were constantly called into action and eventually Bayern levelled the aggregate when Iker Casillas could only tip Arjen Robben’s penalty to the post after first leg hero Mario Gomez was adjudged to have been pushed by Pepe.
The match became a tight affair in the second-half and eventually moved towards extra-time and then penalties as neither side were ready to give up. Cristiano Ronaldo, who had a great game missed his penalty in the shoot-out, his second in Champions League knock-outs after missing against Chelsea while playing for Manchester United in the 2008 final.
However, unlike that game where United won, Neuer saved Kaka’s penalty. On the other side, Alaba and Gomez scored for Bayern before Casillas saved the penalties from Kroos and Lahm to give his side a chance. Sergio Ramos then blasted the ball over and Bastian Schweinsteiger obliged to win the tie for Die Roten and send them to the final on home soil which was won by Chelsea in a dramatic fashion.
