Bayern Munich will not return to Wembley.
As always, Real Madrid found the goals they needed in late action at the Santiago Bernabeu. Bayern had the lead they deserved and one foot in the Champions League final. Then Real slammed the door on them, scoring twice to advance 4-3 on aggregate and join Borussia Dortmund in London on June 1.
Did Bayern deserve better? Maybe. When their anxiety eases, they might also think that they got a lot out of this match, even if it wasn’t a result. Bayern are a force in European football and so it is difficult to gain anything from not winning. But it was as close to a good loss as you could get. Bayern lost well.
For much of Wednesday evening, Bayern’s midfield was tough, their defense held up and, despite poor shooting (19-8) and less possession, they scored threatening goals against.
When we got there, it was cruel in the way he teased a perfect ending. Alphonso Davies has spent much of the season out of form and engaged in a contract dispute which will most likely see him leave the club this summer. Many expect his destination to be Real Madrid. This meant that when he scored with his weaker right foot, brought in in an unfamiliar position and only because of an injury to Serge Gnabry, this strange chain of events seemed to suggest some sort of destiny.
On the other side, Manuel Neuer had one of his best matches in years. A double save in the first half was magnificent. A series of jerky saves in the second was almost as good.
All over the field, the season’s weaknesses were hidden and stories emerged. Aleksandar Pavlovic, a 20-year-old Bavarian who grew up in the club’s academy, led his team on the pitch with an authority that promises an exciting future. Konrad Laimer was great again, as he was in the first game and in the draw against Arsenal. Matthijs de Ligt had his most impressive match of the season. At the end of a long and difficult season, in which Bayern were mocked and belittled and had to walk in the rain, they played in a way that moved souls and should have attracted neutrals to their cause.
The previous evening, Borussia Dortmund had beaten Paris Saint-Germain in eerily similar circumstances, inspiring a very similar response. They are a weaker team than Bayern, but with many similar flaws, and yet they have survived. The two game plans were almost indistinguishable; it was like watching the same game for the second night in a row. Surely with a result to match?
It wouldn’t and it was a horrible trick.
Harry Kane was replaced in the 85th minute. Joselu equalized after a nasty fumble from Neuer four minutes later. Thomas Tuchel has claimed Kane is injured, but that will do little to stop the scathing criticism now inevitably aimed at him. And, although Neuer put in one of the great goalkeeping performances of the Champions League season, his mistake made that largely redundant.
Even after Joselu scored his second goal, the match had another sour note at the end, when a premature whistle deprived De Ligt of any chance of a late equalizer. He may have been offside, but Bayern came into full-time anger and in a way that distracted them from the many positives they deserved to bring back to Germany.
“I find this incredible,” said De Ligt. “I can’t understand it. I’m not saying Madrid always has the referee on their side, but today it made the difference.
Thomas Muller was just as angry in the mixed zone. Tuchel, speaking to DAZN at Full Time, described the decision as a “disaster”. There was certainly an early wake-up call and perhaps also an injustice, but Bayern’s response seemed superanimated by its disappointment. It was hardly unreasonable in the circumstances, but they had earned the right to exit gracefully and reflect on what had gone well.
Bayern worked for their place in the match. As they did in the two matches against Arsenal and in the first match of this semi-final in Munich, their football adopted that laser seriousness that one always finds on big occasions. This is exactly what has been lacking in the Bundesliga this season and yet, away from Germany and the endless negativity that their performances – and more recently their managerial search – have inspired, they were admirably disciplined. Yes, they defended too deep at times and their counters often lacked a final connecting pass, but this was a semi-final against an incredibly gifted opponent that, in the end, was decided on the finest margins.
It also showed what tomorrow could bring. Pavlovic was largely excellent. Progressive and courageous with the ball, he will likely define the team’s personality in possession for the next decade. Jamal Musiala was calmer in Madrid but, throughout the match, reminded everyone how exciting he could be. Add to that the revival of De Ligt, the versatility of Noussair Mazraoui and the robustness of Laimer, and there is a lot to take into a new era. Kim Min-jae had a great time. Eric Dier has also proven to be a valuable element within the squad, capable of bringing out the qualities of the players around him.
All these positives were detectable in Madrid. It was important that they were too. One of the problems facing Bayern is the need to hide and rebuild the core of their team, which is a complicated process, full of egos, perils and pitfalls. This is still true; this remains an arduous task for whoever succeeds Tuchel. But this European journey has at least shown what a new Bayern could look like and what Max Eberl and Christoph Freund, their newly formed technical dynamic, have to work with.
This is progress. Even if that’s not the case.
(Top photo: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)