Bayern Munich secured a narrow lead in their Champions League quarter-final with Real Madrid as goals from Luis Diaz and Harry Kane secured a 2-1 first-leg win for the Bundesliga leaders in the Spanish capital. Vincent Kompany’s side were well worth their victory despite Kylian Mbappe pulling one back for the hosts, with the tie very much up for grabs heading into the return fixture.
Bayern took control early on, and Dayot Upamecano should have opened the scoring when he was presented a chance with the goal gaping. The defender scuffed his finish, however, which allowed Alvaro Carreras to clear off the line. Manuel Neuer had to be alert at the other end, meanwhile, to save twice from Mbappe and once from Vinicius Jr as Madrid threatened on the counter-attack.
Serge Gnabry wasted a good chance to break the deadlock when he was presented with the ball inside Madrid’s penalty area by Thiago Pitarch, but shot straight at Andriy Lunin. Gnabry made up for that miss, however, as his superb through-ball was run onto by Diaz to break the deadlock four minutes before half-time.
Bayern doubled their advantage 20 seconds into the second half as Kane fired into the bottom corner after the visitors turned the ball over in the Madrid half. The imperious Michael Olise then stung the palms of Lunin as Bayern threatened to run away with the tie in the first leg.
Madrid battled back, however, and after Vinicius fired wide following a poor header from Upamecano and Neuer made an excellent save to deny Mbappe, Los Blancos got on the scoresheet when Mbappe turned in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s low cross at the back post.
The hosts dominated from there on out, with Mbappe coming closest to an equaliser when he drove wide, but it is Bayern who hold the advantage heading back to Bavaria for next Wednesday’s second leg.
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