Former midfielder Toni Kroos has given a detailed analysis of the match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, where the German giants won 1–2 at the Santiago Bernabéu.
The return leg will take place next week at the Allianz Arena, where Real Madrid will attempt another dramatic comeback to reach the Champions League semi-finals.
In his podcast, Kroos analyzed the match, admitting that Bayern could have easily finished the game 3–1 or 4–1, but now everything remains open.
“I wasn’t surprised by what happened, even though Bayern delivered an excellent performance, but what occurred after they went 2–0 up was a psychological blow.”
“In recent years, Bayern have delivered good performances against Real Madrid, but in return legs they fail to maintain the same level to secure qualification, often being affected by small details.”
“To explain it better: when it was 2–0, the match should have been mentally settled, with no doubts about the result, but what surprised me was that Bayern started to drop back and defend without applying pressure.”
“At that moment, Bayern were controlling the entire game, and I expected that if they kept possession, they could score a third, fourth, or even fifth goal—but the opposite happened. Upamecano’s mistake against Vinícius turned the game around.”
“After that, Real Madrid showed strong character and created dangerous chances between the 60th and 75th minutes, even though they were 0–2 down. In my opinion, Real Madrid are the most dangerous team in the world when matches turn into attacking chaos and constant back-and-forth exchanges—it’s a style they love.”
“That’s why Real were close to equalizing; the match could have ended 3–3, but the final result was 2–1. From my perspective, Bayern could have managed it better, either by protecting their lead or creating space for a 3–1 or 4–1,” he said.
Meanwhile, the return leg will be played on Wednesday evening at 21:00 at the Allianz Arena.
