Real Madrid snatch Champions League victory as late drama denies Harry Kane's Bayern Munich
REAL MADRID 2-1 BAYERN MUNICH (4-3 on agg): Joselu's late brace sends Los Blancos into the final after Alphonso Davies' goal looked to have made it an all-German affair
As the celebrations took the roof from the Bernabeu Stadium, Jude Bellingham eventually sought out Harry Kane to console him.
And boy, after - even by their standards - the most unlikely Real Madrid fightback, the England captain, who had been substituted five minutes from time, needed some consoling. It might take him a while to get over this.
It might take him a while to accept the move to withdraw him when Bayern were ahead in this match. Kane’s assist for Alphonso Davies' stunning strike looked to have set Bayern up for a trip to Wembley.
But dramatic late goals from substitute Joselu - and an assistant referee’s controversial flag that ruled out what could have been a last-gasp Matthijs de Ligt equaliser - gave Real the most unlikely of victories and Bellingham the chance to win the Champions League in his first season with Real.
READ MORE: Watch the climax of the Premier League title race and Champions League with TNT SportsREAD MORE: Why Jadon Sancho reaching the Champions League final is an unexpected bonus for Man UtdAnd yes, you read that right … Joselu, 34-year-old Joselu, on loan from second division Espanyol. Yes, you read that right … Joselu, Joselu who could not cut it on a cold Tuesday night in his time at Stoke City but who scored twice in three minutes on a balmy - and barmy - Wednesday night in Madrid.
Yes, you read that right … Joselu, Joselu who managed only seven goals in 52 appearances for Newcastle United and now has 18 for Real this season, a La Liga title to his name and has sent Carlo Ancelotti’s side to another final.
Football, eh?
When pundits thought this semi-final second leg might be decided by an ex-Premier League striker, you can bet Joselu’s name was not on their lips. It will be a name Kane will certainly not want to hear again.
After a first half low on quality, if not on entertainment, Kane and Bayern grew into the contest as anxiety took something of a grip on the Bernabeu. And that anxiety became even greater when Bayern took the lead through a stunning Davies strike.
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It was a nice assist from Kane, spraying the ball wide to the Bayern substitute but the goal belonged solely to Davies, who cut inside and fired a humdinger of a right-footed strike into the top corner. The Bernabeu was stunned into silence before, soon after, being sent into rapture when a scramble from a corner ended up in Neuer’s net but a VAR check showed that Nacho had pushed Kimmich over beforehand.
A big screen replay warned Real of what was to come and Kane - one of the first to protest - knew it. What he could not have known is that Neuer - Neuer, of all people - would gift Real a lifeline just two minutes from the end of standard time.
It was the keeper’s bad throw-out that gave Real easy possession and it was the keeper’s botched attempt to save a Vinicius Junior shot that provided Joselu with the most dramatic of tap-in equalisers. And if you thought that was dramatic, how about the winner in added time?
They say VAR takes the drama out of the game. Really?
The entire stadium seemed to accept the assistant referee’s decision to flag when Joselu struck again but a lengthy VAR check confirmed the assistant referee was wrong … and Real and Bellingham were heading to Wembley.
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