The comeback only saw Real Madrid come back from 1-0 down to grab a 2-1 win — courtesy of a second-half brace from Cristiano Ronaldo — at the Allianz Arena, but on the whole, Zinedine Zidane’s side overcame a massive gulf in the run of play from the opening 45 minutes to the second half.
[ MORE: Monaco win first leg, 3-2, on tough night for Dortmund players ]
Bayern Munich went a goal ahead through Arturo Vidal in the 25th minute, and Madrid barely looked to be in the game. Vidal and Thiago Alcantara ran the game from midfield, so badly outplaying Madrid’s trio of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Casemiro.
Just before halftime, Madrid dodged the most dangerous of bullets, and justly so. Dani Carvajal was deemed to have handled the ball inside the penalty area — though replays showed the ball clearly hit his chest — but the ball refused to lie, as Vidal skied the ensuing penalty kick, easily 20 rows into the stands. Bayern would be made to pay for it, dearly so.
[ MORE: Real Madrid come back to edge 10-man Bayern ]
Ronaldo pulled Madrid back to level terms in the 47th minute, though, undoing that disastrous first half which could have seen the tie signed, sealed and delivered. Carvajal got down the right flank and hit a knee-high ball toward the penalty spot, where Ronaldo was waiting. The Portuguese superstar is now four goals from becoming the first player to reach the century mark in Champions League play.
The momentum swing continued well in Madrid’s favor, as Gareth Bale forced Manuel Neuer into a save from point-blank range 10 minutes into the second half. Nine minutes after that, Javi Martinez was sent off after receiving his second yellow card in the span of three minutes.
The man advantage eventually paid off for Los Blancos, as Ronaldo completed the comeback at 2-1 in the 77th minute. Marco Asensio played the perfect floated ball from midfield to Ronaldo, again not far from the penalty spot. The shot was uninspiring and right at Neuer, but the goalkeeping was calamitous as the ball squirted through his legs.
