Bayern triumph over Real Madrid in UEFA Champions League thriller to reach semi-finals
Bayern Munich will play holders Paris Saint-Germain in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League semi-finals after coming from behind to beat Real Madrid 4-3 on the night and secure a 6-4 aggregate win in a wild quarter-final second leg at the Allianz Arena.
Bayern Munich 4-3 Real Madrid (6-4 agg)
Goals: 0-1 Güler 1', 1-1 Pavlović 6' (assist: Kimmich), 1-2 Güler 29', 2-2 Kane 39' (assist: Upamecano), 2-3 Mbappé 42' (assist: Vinícius Júnior), 3-3 Díaz 89' (assist: Musiala), 4-3 Olise 90'+4 (assist: Kane)
Sent off: Camavinga 86', Güler 90'+5 (after the full-time whistle)
Bayern held a slender first-leg lead after winning 2-1 in Spain, but were pegged back inside a minute as Manuel Neuer misplaced a pass straight to Arda Güler, who brilliantly fired into the empty net from distance to level the tie on aggregate.
The Bundesliga leaders responded quickly and equalised in the sixth minute when Aleksandar Pavlović headed home from Joshua Kimmich's corner, only for Real to retake the lead through Güler's curled a sublime free-kick.
Bayern showed tremendous character once more and found parity on 38 minutes as Harry Kane coolly finished after being played in by Dayot Upamecano, but Kylian Mbappé struck late in a pulsating first half to restore Real's advantage on the night.
Late drama sees Bayern secure semi-final spot
Bayern controlled the play for long periods after the restart, with Michael Olise and Díaz both testing Andriy Lunin. The turning point came in the 86th minute when Real substitute Eduardo Camavinga received a second yellow card for preventing a quick free-kick.
Bayern capitalised three minutes later when Díaz combined beautifully with substitute Jamal Musiala before curling a magnificent shot into the far corner to make it 3-3.
With momentum firmly on their side, Bayern completed the remarkable comeback in the fourth minute of added time as Kane found Olise, who cut inside and fired in off the post to send the Allianz Arena into raptures and Bayern into the Champions League last four.
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