Real Madrid flattered by scoreline as Bayern Munich lay down Champions League gauntlet

Harry Kane’s second-half goal gave Bayern a sledner aggregate lead ahead of next week’s second leg (AFP via Getty Images)

A Harry Kane goal just 20 seconds into the second half earned Bayern Munich a 2-1 win in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie with Real Madrid, as the German side laid down the gauntlet for their European rivals.

Bayern travelled to the Spanish capital among the favourites to win the competition after the 10-2 aggregate demolition of Atalanta in the round of 16, and while they only take a slender one-goal lead back to Bavaria ahead of next week’s second leg, they could well have won by three or four after a frantic 90 minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The visitors should have been ahead in the opening 10 minutes – with Kane laying off for Jonathan Tah only for the German defender to scuff his effort from a few yards – and they had yet another golden chance on 26 minutes, with an inexplicable backpass to Lunin intercepted by Serge Gnabry only for the Bayern man to fire straight at the keeper from point-blank range.

Madrid had chances of their own in a frenetic first half – with Manuel Neuer making two good saves from Kylian Mbappe – but it was Bayern who began to dominate, with the hosts forced to put all 11 men behind the ball on occasion as Vincent Kompany’s side started to exert control.

Luis Diaz fired Bayern ahead in the first half with an accomplished finish (AP)

And it was the visitors who grabbed the first goal in an end-to-end first half, with Luis Diaz opening the scoring after making a clever run and slotting a low finish past Lunin.

It was no less than Bayern deserved, and while they would have felt disappointed to go into the break only one goal ahead, that mattered little just 20 seconds into the second half.

The Bernabeu collectively held its breath as they saw Kane preparing to latch on to Michael Olise’s lay-off on the edge of the ‘D’, and it felt inevitable from there as the England captain side-footed an accomplished finish past a sprawling Lunin.

The Bundesliga leaders looked to kill the tie from there, with Olise going close, but the hosts eventually grew back into the game, with Neuer forced into a brilliant low save from Mbappe’s effort before the ‘keeper did well to shepherd Vinicius Jr away from goal when the Brazilian was clean through.

Kane doubled Bayern’s lead just 20 seconds into the second half with a trademark finish (AFP via Getty Images)

Madrid did eventually find a lifeline, with Trent Alexander-Arnold bursting through with an overlapping run before fizzing a brilliant ball across Neuer for Mbappe to bundle in at the far post.

The Bernabeu was full of belief once more, but while Madrid briefly threatened to bring the game level, it was instead the visitors who looked more likely to extend their lead, Jamal Musiala going close and combining with Olise and Alphonso Davies to create plenty of openings on the left wing.

Madrid fans briefly thought they would get back into the game but instead they were left breathing a sigh of relief as Bayern once again missed chances to extend their lead. At the final whistle there was a sense that they are all but out of this season’s Champions League despite only trailing by a goal, such was the manner of Bayern’s performance at one of the most difficult away grounds on the continent.

This is not a Bayern side who were flawless on the night, as evidenced by the goal they conceded and a couple of mistakes they were lucky to get away with, notably when Dayot Upamecano mistakenly cushioned a header into the path of Vinicius to send the Brazilian clean through.

Mbappe gave his side hope with a well-worked goal in the 74th minute (AFP via Getty Images)

And overall, it is clear that the German side’s main defensive issues come when trying to deal with direct, pacy forwards such as Mbappe and Vinicius, with the likes of Ousmane Dembele potentially causing problems if they are to get through and face PSG in the semi-finals.

But while the defensive side of things will be what worries Kompany over the coming days as he prepares for the second leg at the Allianz Arena on 15 April, the Belgian knows that this was a performance that was impressive in many areas.

Some of Bayern’s attacking patterns and combinations in and around the Madrid box were certainly some of the most inventive on display in the competition so far this season, and they can call upon the obvious goalscoring threat offered by Kane and the constant creativity and attacking nous of Olise. Diaz offers a different kind of threat from the left, while the similarly dangerous Jamal Musiala is still working himself back to full fitness.

Bayern will be heavy favourites ahead of next week’s second leg (Getty Images)

And though there are some worries at the back, Bayern can also still call upon Neuer, the German legend having made several good saves and a couple of brilliant ones when he was called upon.

It all so nearly perfectly clicked into place at the Bernabeu, and though Bayern return to Germany with a slender aggregate lead ahead of the second leg, they will be heavy favourites to progress at the Allianz. They were not able to land the convincing win this evening, but a wider margin on Wednesday could well mark them out as favourites to win this season’s Champions League.