Real Madrid held Bayern Munich to a 2-2 draw in the second leg of their Champions League semifinal, allowing the Spanish side to advance to the final 4-3 on aggregate.
Real will now await the result of Wednesday’s second leg between Liverpool and Roma to see who they will face in the finals of Europe’s most prestigious club competition.
Benzema Plays Hero for Real
Real Madrid came into the second leg of the semifinal with a 2-1 advantage, capturing two valuable away goals in Germany last week. But Bayern Munich quickly got themselves back into the match with a third-minute goal by Joshua Kimmich that put the result back into question.
It was Karim Benzema who would ultimately make the difference for Real. He responded quickly with a goal in the 11th minute, then added another just after the halftime break to give Real the lead in the game and a 4-2 aggregate advantage. Benzema now has 55 career Champions League goals, good for fifth all-time.
Bayern wasn’t quite out of the match yet, however, and James Rodriguez gave his side a chance when the Colombian attacking midfielder scored on his own rebound in the 63rd minute. That score put Bayern back within a goal overall, knowing that a third away goal would earn them a place in the final. Rodriguez was in a uniquely awkward position in the match, as he is on loan to Bayern Munich from Real Madrid, forcing him to play against his parent club.
But it was not to be, as Real goalkeeper Keylor Navas came up big several times in the final minutes to hold onto a home draw and send Madrid through to the final.
Liverpool Closing in on Finals
Real will head into the final as a favorite no matter who they play. But both Liverpool and Roma will be happy to see that Bayern was able to maintain pressure and find goals against the Spanish powerhouse, showing that there are weaknesses they will be able to exploit against Real.
Heading into the second leg of the other semifinal, it is Liverpool that has the significant advantage. Liverpool scored a resounding 5-2 victory over their Italian opponents back at Anfield, and it was only two late away goals for Roma that will give them any hope of advancing.
It will still be a tall order for Roma to put together a three-goal victory against a Liverpool side that thoroughly dominated the first meeting between the two clubs. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp wants to keep his squad focused on maintaining that level of play, not simply doing enough to advance.
“We go there actually to try to win the game, not to only lose 2-0,” Klopp told reporters. “You cannot come to a semifinal and play average football.”
Liverpool’s lead has made them a huge favorite to make it through, with BetVictor offering them at just 1/20 odds of advancing compared to 8/1 on Roma. The hosts are even considered a slight underdog to win this match: William Hill has Roma listed at 8/5 to get a victory, with Liverpool (6/4) given a strong chance to score an away win.
Real Madrid (8/11) remains the favorite to take home the Champions League title, which will be held on May 26 in Kiev. Likely opponents Liverpool (6/5) are a slight underdog, while Roma (33/1) is a longshot to overcome their massive semifinal deficit and go on to win the trophy.
