The best Kroos ever seen in Munich: "I know him very well. And he knows me"
The head raised sought eye contact with Vinicius. The curve of the body did not seem to portend anything, but the hand already indicated where the pass to the Brazilian would land.. The rivals had granted him a couple of meters and Toni Kroos did not waste the opportunity. His was the majestic assist yesterday for the 0-1 scoreline, the highlight of another great night for Real Madrid. «There are no words to define him. He is a top player, crucial for our game, because of the way he controls the timing and his passing,” admitted Carlo Ancelotti.
Carletto's happiness, like that of most of his footballers, was not only limited to the tie that had cooled the Allianz crater. It was, rather, the satisfaction of having re-emerged that competitive spirit with which to stay afloat after an extreme situation.. Because after three consecutive wins in Munich, the 14-time champion sweated again yesterday as appropriate in the semi-finals. The 2-2 not only gives him a certain advantage for the Bernabéu, but also allows him to equal his own record in the Champions League, where he already has 11 games without losing, equaling the record of the 2016-17 season.. Another reason to celebrate for the 4,000 Madrid fans who experienced it live in Munich. Those who enjoyed Vinicius' virguerías and Kim Minjae's rude mistakes. Those who chanted Kroos' mastery during the 76 minutes he stepped on the grass.
«He gave me a goal. I know him very well. And he to me,” Vinicius smiled, with that peculiar shine in his eyes.. He still seemed to savor the pleasure of the ball into space against Manuel Neuer and the unfortunate Minjae. A courtesy of Kroos, who during the first half completed an astonishing statistic. According to OPTA's accounting, 15 of his passes managed to break a rival line of pressure. The best rival in that aspect, Leon Goretzka, could only filter five.
“We needed to win the duels”
«During the first half we defended with little intensity and we gave them the possibility to control the game. We needed to win the duels, but after the break we put more pressure, we were more aggressive,” analyzed Ancelotti, without shame when pointing out his team's defects.. Before the 23rd minute was up, Bayern had already scored against Andriy Lunin seven times, including two corner kicks.. A fire raging to the beat of its drums. The usual thunderous artillery in the Allianz Arena, the lair of a team that, at this point in the season, has four points and six more goals in the Bundesliga than last year. Any contempt for Bayern in the Champions League should be paid for with excommunication. As intolerable as granting a couple of extra meters to Kroos.
Since that loan at Leverkusen, when he had barely come of age, Toni had played eight times against Bayern, but he had never even managed to score an assist.. Not even in the last two quarterfinal and semi-final ties (2017 and 2018), already in his Madrid fullness. Maybe that's why that gesture with which he showed the way to 0-1 left Rodrygo so speechless.. “What a pass, incredible!” exclaimed the striker, victim of a resounding penalty by Minjae.. «We always tell him to continue. Not one year, but many more. “I love playing with him,” added the Brazilian.. The recital on the 8th in Munich yesterday seemed like the prelude to something big at the Bernabéu. “We will still have to suffer, but now in an environment that everyone knows,” Ancelotti anticipated.. Vinicius, more concise, heralded a “magical night.”
Bayern had better get Matthijs de Ligt back soon, he dropped out at the last minute yesterday. His absence as a right-handed central defender left the area where Vinicius would hover against Joshua Kimmich a little more unguarded.. So Thomas Tuchel turned to Minjae, a central defender signed this year from Naples. Without the physical power of the Dutchman, with certain problems in the open field, the Korean would at least provide the good judgment offered during the first half of the season, where he had established himself as Bayern's best defender.
150 games for Müller
The dangers of Real Madrid, the Champions League's top scorer on the counterattack with six goals, were based on transitions, but Minjae never knew how to shape himself to hold Vinicius in the open field.. That weakness in Neuer's domain frustrated any threat of an epic for Tuchel. «Madrid has already done it before: score two goals on two occasions. We are not the first team to suffer from it. “We should have scored 3-1, but then we gave them a penalty,” admitted the former PSG coach.
From that 2016 league with Dortmund, to the unforgettable 2022 tie at the head of Chelsea, Tuchel had always known how to put Madrid in front of the defile. Therefore, a situation as desperate as the current one made his team an even more dangerous rival.. The initial choice of Thomas Müller, to the detriment of Serge Gnabry, was a somewhat nostalgic bet, with which the captain was able to celebrate his 150th Champions League match.. A milestone in the competition, equaling Iker Casillas' record in Madrid. The absolute record for matches in the same club is still held by Xavi Hernández (151).
The influence of Müller, relegated in recent times to an almost residual role, could only be interpreted from an emotional point of view.. Because Tuchel reserved the opportunity for Raphael Guerreiro, one of the most underrated footballers in the Champions League.. The mere presence of the Portuguese ordered Bayern's offensive, which was able to guide Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sané towards the goal. The difference between playing on a natural foot or a changed foot radically changed the game.
You had to go back to October, against Darmstadt 98 on matchday nine of the Bundesliga, to witness Sané's last goal. But since he has plenty of talent, the Schalke youth player took advantage of Rodrygo's lack of involvement to silence the critics.. From the other profile, Musiala was already abusing Lucas Vázquez. At just 21 years old, he already feels capable of dominating a Champions League semi-final.
The appointment of Clement Turpin, with whom Madrid had won all six of their games, caused some discomfort in Germany.. However, nothing could be objected to the Frenchman, who without hesitation pointed out the 11 meters after Lucas's knockdown of Musiala and Minjae's knockdown of Rodrygo. «For the return we have to be more clinical. It will be an open match. We have to improve our individual defenses and be stronger,” concluded Tuchel.