Champions League: Bayern Munich edge out Real Madrid; Arsenal beat Sporting Lisbon to book place in semis
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Champions League: Bayern Munich edge out Real Madrid; Arsenal beat Sporting Lisbon to book place in semis")
Luis Diaz celebrates after scoring goal Photograph: (AFP)
Bayern Munich staged a thrilling comeback against Real Madrid to book their place in the semi-finals as Arsenal beat Sporting Lisbon on aggregate to book their place in the last four
Late goals from Luis Daaz and Michael Olise secured a thrilling 4–3 victory for Bayern Munich over Real Madrid on Wednesday, sealing a 6–4 aggregate win and booking a Champions League semi-final clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
The second leg at the Allianz Arena was a chaotic, high-intensity contest, with Real Madrid leading three times on the night despite Bayern’s advantage from a 2–1 first-leg win in Spain.
Real stunned the home crowd inside 34 seconds when Arda Güler capitalised on a misplaced Manuel Neuer pass to score the opener. He struck again later in the half with a superb free-kick after Aleksandar Pavlović had levelled for Bayern. Harry Kane restored Bayern’s advantage in the tie, but Kylian Mbappé responded to put Madrid 3–2 up on the night, bringing the aggregate score level before half-time.
The game swung again late on after Eduardo Camavinga was sent off for a second yellow card with four minutes remaining. Bayern pressed the advantage, and Luis Díaz fired home from distance after a deflection to put the hosts back in control. As Real pushed for a late equaliser, Michael Olise sealed the win with a stunning curled finish in stoppage time, sending Bayern into the semi-finals against PSG.
Tempers flared after the final whistle when Guler was shown a straight red card for confronting the referee. The match also marked a historic first for Real Madrid, who fielded a starting XI without a single Spanish player. Jude Bellingham started on the bench after the first leg, alongside several tactical changes made by coach Arbeloa. Neuer endured a difficult night, having earlier gifted Real the opening goal with an errant pass directly to Güler.
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Bayern responded quickly through Pavlović’s header from a Joshua Kimmich corner after a lapse from goalkeeper Andriy Lunin. Despite Madrid’s attacking pressure and goals from Güler and Mbappé, Bayern’s resilience and late attacking quality proved decisive.
Arsenal beat Sporting Lisbon to advance to semis
Elsewhere, Arsenal also progressed to the Champions League semi-finals after a goalless draw against Sporting Lisbon secured a 1–0 aggregate victory. Mikel Arteta’s side endured a nervy night at the Emirates but held firm to reach the last four for the second consecutive season, a first in the club’s history.
Geny Catamo came closest for Sporting, striking the post in the first half, but Arsenal advanced despite a below-par performance. The Gunners, who last reached the final in 2006, will face Real Madrid in the semi-finals, with the first leg set for April 29 and the return leg at the Emirates on May 5.
