In the first leg of the Champions League semifinals on Tuesday, Real Madrid’s striker Vinicius Junior turned in a remarkable performance, scoring twice, including a penalty kick equaliser in the 83rd minute, to secure a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich.
After 24 minutes, Vinicius gave Real the lead, but Bayern swiftly overturned the deficit in the second half, scoring twice in the space of four minutes. Harry Kane converted a penalty after Leroy Sane scored an incredible goal to tie the game.
Real Madrid was awarded a penalty with only eight minutes remaining in the game due to a foul by Kim Min-jae on Rodrygo in the box. To rescue a draw, Vinicius Junior confidently buried the spot-kick in the face of jeers and whistles from the crowd.
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Thinking back on his performance, Vinicius underlined how important it is to win the competition. “In this competition, it’s crucial not to lose, and our unbeaten record has brought us this far,” he said. “I’m thrilled to have scored two goals, and now we must create magic at home,” he stated.
Real Madrid will have the upper hand going into next week’s second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu thanks to the draw. Even so, Bayern Munich is still hoping to advance to the June final at Wembley, even though they dominated the majority of the match.
In honour of club hero Franz Beckenbauer, Bayern supporters unfurled a massive banner to highlight the importance of the match—which is currently the most played in the history of the European Cup.
Real Madrid’s tenacity was evident despite Bayern’s early domination, with Vinicius’ opening goal highlighting their capacity to take advantage of chances. With Vinicius in acres of space after Toni Kroos’ deft pass, Madrid took the lead as he slotted the ball past Manuel Neuer with ease.