5 reasons: Why did Bayern settle the first leg of the European summit against Real?

Real Madrid’s defense is still suffering from several problems, and the Bayern Munich match is fresh evidence of that this season.

Besides poor positioning and covering by the back line, the match against the Bavarian side saw disastrous individual mistakes, one of which led to conceding the second goal after the ball was lost at the start of the second half.

Midfielder Thiago Pitarch also gifted Serge Gnabry a chance in front of goal, but the German star failed to make the most of it.

The first goal scored by Luis Díaz confirmed an ongoing issue in the heart of Real Madrid’s defense, as Gnabry easily slipped a through ball to the Colombian forward, who found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper with no defenders in sight.

Dean Huijsen was a clear weak point in the team’s back line, which is why coach Álvaro Arbeloa made him his first substitution, replacing him with the returning-from-injury Éder Militão.

If not for Bayern Munich’s attackers being wasteful in more than one situation in front of goal, Bayern would have sealed qualification early in Madrid, without waiting for the return leg.

When Real Madrid used to come out on top in clashes against the big clubs despite not being the better side, Thibaut Courtois was the unsung soldier behind those victories.

That happened against Atletico Madrid and Manchester City this season, and there are many examples from the past few seasons.

It is true that Courtois’ record may not rival that of other goalkeepers, but the Belgian can save his goal from shots that, if they had gone in, he would not have been blamed for—and that is the secret that has led Los Blancos to win on more than one occasion.

Courtois’ impact has been clear since his injury, and in the match against Bayern Munich his replacement, Andriy Lunin, conceded two goals, perhaps the Belgian would have been able to keep one of them out.

Apart from the two goals, Real Madrid’s defenders do not feel confident with Lunin in goal, and that was evident in one first-half moment: Harry Kane played a ball on a plate for Dayot Upamecano, but the latter struck it weakly toward the left corner, and Carvajal cleared it off the goal line while the Ukrainian keeper dived to the right.

From the very first moment, Bayern Munich’s wingers Michael Olise and Luis Díaz showed their superiority over the hosts’ full-backs Álvaro Carreras and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Carreras was unable to hold his own in one-on-one duels against the speed and skill of the French star, whose runs became an attacking weapon for Bayern in the match.

Jamie Carragher, the former England star, said in his analysis of the match that what Olise produced against Real Madrid was the best individual performance he had seen all season.

On the other side, Díaz was one of the stars of the match and managed to score the first goal that opened the game in favor of the visiting team.

On that, former England star Roy Keane harshly criticized Alexander-Arnold, saying: “Those are childish mistakes. To let Luis Díaz get the better of you as if you’re not even there? That’s nonsense! It’s like he’s never played at right-back in his life.”

As much as Real Madrid missed Courtois’ services, Bayern Munich benefited from the presence of the veteran German wall, 40-year-old Manuel Neuer.

Neuer was immense and saved nine shots from Real Madrid’s players, especially the duo Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior, to deservedly win the Man of the Match award.

It can be said that if not for Neuer’s saves, the result would have changed; even the goal that went in against him came with great difficulty, after the ball barely crossed the goal line.

Coach Vincent Kompany owes his goalkeeper a great deal of credit for this victory, and will owe him even more if they qualify for the semifinals—especially since, thanks to Neuer’s brilliance, the Bavarian side achieved a win at Real Madrid’s ground that had been missing since 2001.

Despite the goal he scored, which kept Real Madrid’s hopes alive, Kylian Mbappé’s performance in the match was not as expected, as he continued to struggle in big games.

The question arises again: is it better for Real Madrid to play without Mbappé? And does Mbappé’s presence hinder the runs of other players such as Fede Valverde, who shines in the absence of the French star?

Mbappé has been subjected to fierce criticism, especially since Real’s wins over Atlético Madrid and Manchester City came when he was not in the starting lineup, as the team played more collectively.

The French star squandered two big chances in front of goal, which could have been enough for the Royal Club to win despite the poor performance.

The Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich match was one of the rare occasions in the UEFA Champions League this season to pass without any real refereeing controversy.

English referee Michael Oliver delivered an outstanding performance and brought the match to safety without issues, making correct decisions.

Real Madrid players اعتراضed to the awarding of Luis Díaz’s goal, despite the ball hitting Michael Olise’s hand at the start of the move, but Spanish refereeing expert Iturralde González supported Oliver’s decision.

Iturralde also praised the English referee’s decision to show Aurélien Tchouaméni a yellow card after a foul on the edge of the penalty area in the first half, despite the French player’s اعتراض that the card led to his suspension for the second leg.

Despite Real Madrid’s home defeat and their disappointing performance, no one dares to say that qualification has been settled in favor of the Bavarian side.

Even Vincent Kompany himself, when asked about guaranteeing his team’s qualification, replied: “The match was like the first half of a long game. There’s no room for big celebrations or complete satisfaction; we must prepare strongly for the decisive leg at the Allianz Arena.”

As for Arbeloa, he raised the banner of defiance and stated: “If there is a team capable of winning in Munich, it is Real Madrid. Whoever doesn’t believe us can stay in Madrid, but we will go to Munich with everything we have to win.”

The Spanish team needs to win by a two-goal margin at the Allianz Arena against a German giant that has been devouring everything in its path domestically and in Europe this season.

Nevertheless, Real Madrid is clinging to the hope of turning the result around at their opponent’s stadium, especially as they will go into the match with most of their weapons, after their stars avoided picking up a yellow card that would have ruled them out—except for Tchouaméni.

The quintet of Mbappé, Vinícius, Jude Bellingham, Dean Huijsen, and Álvaro Carreras were at risk of missing the return leg, but they did not receive any cards yesterday.

If Bayern Munich rely on high pressing in the return match, as they did at the Santiago Bernabéu, the Royal team may find a path to the semifinals, banking on swift counterattacks in behind the defenders.