A total of 20 Champions Leagues, 68 national titles, 14 Golden Balls won… Figures which allow us to take the measure of the giants that are Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in Europe. Two institutions which hope to reach the final at Wembley on June 1 and which will not give each other any gifts. Historically, Real has only one more victory than its opponent (12 wins against 11 for Bayern and 3 draws), but events have often turned in favor of the Spanish club.
Real Madrid – Bayern Munich: 4-2 ap (quart de finale retour)
The quarter-final return between these two teams during the 2016-2017 season still remains today an unforgettable meeting both for its scenario and its controversies. In the first leg, Real won in Germany (1-2) and should logically qualify on the return to their home Bernabéu. The away goal rule also requires Bayern to score twice to hope to qualify. But nothing is going to go as planned. Arjen Robben obtains a penalty (51st) on an almost non-existent fault except to say a simulation and Lewandowski puts Bayern in front. Robben and Vidal two minutes later had the opportunity to give their team a two-goal lead but missed (53rd). Cristiano Ronaldo will think about offering qualification to his team (75th) but Nacho and Ramos mess up and deceive Navas.
From there, bad refereeing decisions will continue. Lucky not to have been earlier, Arturo Vidal was sent off for an absolutely legal tackle (83rd) before Cristiano Ronaldo scored two offside goals in overtime (3-2). Bayern, stunned, conceded a final goal from Gareth Bale and railed about the refereeing.
Bayern Munich – Real Madrid: 0-4 (demi-final return)
Only defeated 1-0 in Spain, Bayern has high hopes in this return match. The typical team is present with Mandžukić at the forefront, the Robben-Ribéry pair (known as “Robery”) on the wings, Dante-Boateng in the hinge and Neuer in the goals. A team which also includes Kroos, Lahm and Muller, world champions a few months later.
However, in less than 30 minutes, the suspense is extinguished in Munich. With two headers, Sergio Ramos puts his team in front before Cristiano Ronaldo, served by Bale, scores the third goal after only 34 minutes of play. A performance concluded by a trickster free kick from Ronaldo (89th) which will bring the Madrilenians to win their tenth cup with big ears, the famous “decima”.
Real Madrid – Bayern Munich: 2-2 (demi-final return)
This is the last confrontation between the two clubs to date. In the first leg, Bayern once again lost 1-2 despite great domination and opportunities galore for Ribéry and Lewandowski. At the start of the return match, Bayern must also achieve a feat to get rid of their pet peeve. A performance that seemed possible when, after less than 3 minutes, Joshua Kimmich, already a scorer in the first leg, opened the scoring for the Germans. Benzema quickly equalized with a header (10th) before Bayern was once again dominant. Bayern could have obtained a penalty on contact from Ramos (17th) or on an obvious loose hand from Marcelo (45th 1st). James Rodriguez sends a bag into the stands one meter from the goal (33rd).
During the double confrontation, Manuel Neuer is injured. His replacement, Sven Ulreich, stands out in the worst possible way. On a back pass from Tolisso, the goalkeeper misses in an unspeakable manner and leaves Karim Benzema to score in complete freedom. A performance in complete opposition to the master class of Keylor Navas, the Madrid goalkeeper. Until the very last opportunity from Thomas Muller (90th 5th) Real suffered. In the end, football is a sport that is played 11 against 11 and in the end, it is always Real who wins.
Bayern Munich – Real Madrid : 2-1 (return semi-final)
A match once again where the refereeing will not have gone in Bayern’s direction. At the Olympiastadion, Bayern got off to an ideal start thanks to a magnificent recovery from Jancker under the bar. Bayern thought they had come back to the level of the first leg (2-0 Madrid) when Elber took a ball that was poorly repelled by a certain Iker Casillas, who was then experiencing his first European campaign in the Madrid jersey.
The linesman, however, raises his flag, wrongly. An error which allows Nicolas Anelka to equalize with a superb header (31st). Elber scored the 2-1 goal for Bayern but did not find the solutions to deceive the White House which won at the Stade de France in the final against Valencia (3-0).
Bayern Munich – Real Madrid: 2-0 (demi-final return)
In 1976, Bayern was the image of Real in the 2010s. Shaken in the league where Borussia Mönchengladbach dominated the 1975 and 1976 editions, Bayern proved untouchable on the European side. Thanks to his victories in the biggest European competition in 1974 and 1975, he qualified once again in the competition normally reserved for winners of the European championships.
In the semi-final, the German team meets Real Madrid for the first time in its history. Already a scorer on the first leg, legend Gerd Muller did not hold back on the return leg to score a double. A match which will lead to a third final (winning) for Bayern Munich against AS Saint-Étienne and the famous episode of the square posts.