Bayern lose to Real Madrid

Madrid (dpa) – Real Madrid reached the final of the Champions League, beating Bayern Munich 4-3 on aggregate after a 2-2 draw on Tuesday night.

Joshua Kimmich scored for the German side after just three minutes after Sergio Ramos failed to clear a Thomas Muller cross.

Karim Benzema headed Marcelo’s cross in on 11 minutes and then put the home side ahead on the night when he scored into an open goal a minute into the second half.

The chance came when Sven Ulreich allowed Corentin Tolisso’s back pass to get past him.

James Rodriguez made it 2-2 on the night and 4-3 on aggregate on 63 minutes, but Bayern could not find another goal.

Rodriguez did not celebrate his goal out of respect for his former team-mates.

He had been Bayern’s best player. The Real Madrid supporters applauded him when he was taken off just before the end of the game.

Madrid’s star had been keeper Keylor Navas who made save after save.

Bayern Munich also felt they had been hard done by with the refereeing decisions.

Marcelo handled in the area in the first half but no spot-kick was given.

And in the second period Robert Lewandowski was pushed by Sergio Ramos but again the appeals were ignored.

“It was a gift,” said Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes of the error from his goalkeeper that had given Madrid the second half advantage.

“I’m happy for Benzema,” said Zidane of his scoring striker Karim.

“He has worked hard and he deserved it.”

There were also words of praise for Navas who saved in the second half.

“He stopped them so many times but not only from shots. There were a lot of crosses and he came out and dealt with them. He saved our life many times.”

Zidane’s Real Madrid are the first team to reach three straight finals since the Juventus team that he was part of.

“It’s not normal to be in the final for three years running but we are there,” he said.

“Now we have to fight to win it but we can be content about winning a place in the final once more.

“It’s this team’s history. We believe and we fight to make things happen.”

For Heynckes this was also the chance to reach a third final although his finals stretch across two decades.

The coach who masterminded a win for Real Madrid over Juventus in Amsterdam in 1998 said: “We played a fantastic game. Over the two games we were the better side.

“But what usually happens in football is that the details decide things. And that is what happened here. Navas was brilliant.”

Real Madrid will play the winners of the Liverpool and Roma semi-final.