Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 100th goal in European club football as Real Madrid beat Bayern Munich 2-1 to take control of their Champions League quarter-final.
Arturo Vidal’s header had given Bayern the lead at Allianz Arena, but the midfielder’s missed penalty and Javi Martinez’s red card subsequently provided the cue for Ronaldo to net his second brace against the Germans after Madrid’s 4-0 win in the 2014 semi-finals.
Robert Lewandowski and Mats Hummels both failed to recover in time from injuries sustained against former club Borussia Dortmund last weekend.
Madrid were down to barebones in central defence, with Nacho Fernandez partnering Sergio Ramos due to Pepe and Raphael Varane suffering from setbacks.
Midfielders Toni Kroos and Xabi Alonso faced their old teams, having played for them when the two sides last met competitively three years ago.
Bayern immediately sought to pin back Madrid, yet the first chance fell to Los Blancos. Kroos’ deep cross found Karim Benzema, who rose above his marker in the Bayern penalty area, but the Frenchman’s header was pushed onto the underside of the bar by Manuel Neuer.
Nonetheless, Vidal unleashed a bullet header past Keylor Navas for 1-0 to the hosts after he outmuscled Nacho in the air, before heading a brilliant ball from the right just wide.
Straight at the other end, Ronaldo blasted a shot hard and low towards the bottom-left corner of Neuer’s goal, but the goalkeeper tipped it around the post.
Things soon went from bad to worse for Madrid as they conceded a penalty. Dani Carvajal was deemed to have blocked Franck Ribery’s curling shot with his arm.
The ball appeared to land closer to the right-back’s chest, but justice was done as Vidal blazed the spot-kick over.
Just two minutes after the restart, Casemiro spread the ball out wide to Carvajal, whose driven cross was volleyed home by Ronaldo.
Gareth Bale then powered a header at Neuer’s goal from near the penalty area, but the German showed fabulous reflexes to ping it out of the air.
The momentum was firmly in Madrid’s corner, and they were dealt a further boost when Javi Martinez mistimed his sliding tackle on Ronaldo for a second yellow card.
Moments after he sent a free header over, Benzema’s point-blank finish was somehow kept out by Neuer’s right leg, before the goalkeeper made another miraculous stop to block Ronaldo from a matter of yards out.
Neuer wasn’t third time lucky, however, as Ronaldo was level with Bayern’s offside trap when he flung in Marco Asensio’s cross from the left.
Madrid could’ve ended the game with two more goals, but Benzema was offside when he met Marcelo’s driven cross, while Sergio Ramos marginally failed to bend his run from a free kick.
Bayern Munich 1-2 Real Madrid
Vidal 25, Javi Martinez sent off 61 (BM) Ronaldo 47, 77 (RM)
Bayern Munich: Neuer; Lahm, Boateng, Javi Martinez, Alaba; Alonso (Bernat 64), Vidal, Thiago; Robben, Muller (Coman 81), Ribery (Costa 65)
Real Madrid: Keylor; Carvajal, Nacho, Ramos, Marcelo; Modric (Kroos 90), Casemiro, Kroos; Bale (Asensio 59), Benzema (James 83), Ronaldo
Referee: Rizzoli (ITA)
