Madrid into Champions League final after dramatic win over Bayern
Real Madrid will face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final after coming from behind to claim a late and dramatic 2-1 win against Bayern Munich at their Santiago Bernabeu stadium on Wednesday.
The teams played out a 2-2 draw in the first leg, and Bayern were en course to set up a rematch of their 2013 Champions League final against Dortmund in Wembley after Alphonso Davies found the breakthrough in the 68th minute.
But a bizarre mistake by goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who made one save after another throughout the match, allowed Joselu in the 88th to tap in the rebound from Vinicius Junior's effort, which was dropped by Neuer.
And the Bernabeu roared of joy when Joselu struck again in the first minute of stoppage-time to turn the game around and book a ticket to London.
Madrid are the Champions League record title winners and will be chasing a 15th trophy after also being crowned La Liga champions this season.
Bayern, meanwhile, will finish a season without a trophy for the first time in over a decade.
Madrid threatened for the first time in the 13th as Vinicius Junior struck the ball across the goal and against the post. Rodrygo took the rebound, but Neuer made the save.
Bayern suffered a setback when Serge Gnabry was subbed off with injury in the 28th, with Davies coming off the bench.
Shortly before the break, Vinicius aimed for a cross, but that turned into a goal effort, which was saved by Neuer with his fingertips.
Bayern gave it a go early in the second half, but Noussair Mazraoui's attempt from distance was palmed by keeper Andriy Lunin in the 44th and Davies' shot went just wide of the crossbar after it was blocked by Dani Carvajal in the 47th.
Madrid answered by forcing Neuer into a stunning save to deny Rodrygo's powerful free-kick in the 59th and the keeper was again brilliant to deny Vinicius just a minute later.
But after surviving that pressure, the Bavarians got the breakthrough when Davies dribbled Antonio Rüdiger to find the far corner with a fantastic finish.
Madrid thought they had the equalizer in the 71st, but that goal was ruled out because Nacho grabbed Joshua Kimmich by the face.
Bayern defender Minjae Kim hit the crossbar after a corner in the 82nd and that miss became even more bitter after Josulu levelled for the hosts six minutes later.
It was Neuer's first mistake in what could have been an impeccable evening for the goalkeeper. He held the initial shot from Vinicius but immediately dropped it at the feet of substitute Joselu, who didn't waste his chance.
And it was Joselu again on target in stoppage-time to complete a sensational turnaround that secured Madrid a trip to London.
There was still time for a kerfuffle after the referee stopped the game due to a potential offside play from Bayern. Replays showed that defender Matthijs de Ligt didn't seem offside, but the biggest complain was the fact that the referee didn't let the play conclude.
"I can't understand it, you have to play it through. That's a clear rule. This is sometimes what makes the difference against Madrid," De Ligt told broadcasters DAZN.
