Strategic and Artistic Battle: The Journey of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich
A comprehensive analysis of the coaches’ tactics, the stars’ brilliance, and the exciting match details in the first leg of the semi-finals
Real Madrid forced its guest, Bayern Munich, to a draw (2-2) in the first leg match that took place on Tuesday, as part of the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the 2023-2024 season. Therefore, the decision of the winner of the qualification card to the final match will be postponed to the upcoming confrontation on the ground of Santiago Bernabeu Stadium next Wednesday.
Coach Thomas Tuchel relied on the familiar formation (4-2-3-1) for the Bayern Munich team, where he placed Harry Kane in the attack position, and behind him were the players Muller, Musiala, and Sane. While coach Carlo Ancelotti remained committed to the tactic (4-3-1-2) for Real Madrid, with Jude Bellingham placed behind the attacking duo Vinicius Junior and Rodrigo.
It seems that Ancelotti issued instructions to cut off the Bavarian attacks, which Vinicius and Rodrigo tried to implement by positioning side by side in front of the Austrian midfielder.
Real Madrid midfielder, Toni Kroos, proved an important role in breaking the defensive lines of Bayern Munich, through his accurate passes in the front third of the field. Statistics also confirm Kroos’s ability to break Bayern Munich’s lines by recording 15 successful passes in the first half alone, more than any other player on the field.
Kroos benefited from his skill in his passes by recording a magical pass that penetrated Bayern Munich’s defense, which provided the opportunity for Vinicius to score the first equalizing goal.
At the beginning of the second half, Bayern Munich succeeded in exploiting its control and scoring two consecutive goals, to equalize the result after lagging behind.
For his part, Ancelotti moved Rodrigo to the right side as a winger, and fixed Valverde in midfield.
Rodrigo’s movements were annoying to the Bavarian defense, especially with his skill in dribbling and penetrating from the right side smoothly. Ancelotti made changes in the defensive formation, by withdrawing Nacho and introducing Camavinga, to turn Chouamini into a defensive position, while his compatriot replaced him in midfield.
Tuchel responded to the changes by withdrawing Thomas Muller and involving Serge Gnabry, hoping to stimulate the attack.
Real Madrid’s control in the last minutes of the match gave it a chance to get a penalty kick, from which it scored the second equalizing goal, which again cost Bayern Munich the price of its decline after the strong starts in each half.
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