Champions League Results: Real Madrid beats Bayern Munich, advances to final

Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

Real Madrid took a 1-0 lead in the aggregate to the Allianz Arena for the second leg of their Champions League semi-finals against Bayern Munich. A slim lead, and the tie could go either way but Real Madrid put things away early frustrating the home squad.

Early in the first half, Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos headed in a corner to give Madrid a 1-0 lead. Minutes later Ramos added a second goal, again from a header off a cross from a set piece.

[RELATED:] See Ramo’s headers in GIF form here

A 2-0 lead in the first 20 minutes but Bayern Munich in a dire situation and the tension between the two teams caused a couple of flare ups. Trailing 2-0 in the game, and 3-0 in the aggregate, Munich now needed to win by two goals to advance, and would’ve needed four goals if they could’ve kept Madrid from scoring.

Before the end of the first half, superstar and 2013 Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo added a third goal basically sealing the win, or at the very least making it incredibly difficult for Munich to come back. Former Tottenham Hotspur star Gareth Bale, who joined Madrid over the summer, was headed in on goal alone beating his defender when Munich goal keeper Manuel Neuer came out to defend. Bale tapped it over to Ronaldo who put it in the back of the net for his record 15th goal of this season’s campaign. Ronaldo has now scored more goals in a Champions League season than any other player, and he still has one game to go to extend that lead.

The second half was a less thrilling affair until the end of the game. Ronaldo, thirsty for another goal, was taking the ball into the middle of the pitch when he was tripped up and went to the ground. He lined up for the free kick choosing to go low keeping the ball on the ground underneath the wall as they jumped into the air. A very clever fee kick that extended his own record to 16 goals.

The final 5-0 aggregate advances Real Madrid to the Champions League final at Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica on May 24th. For Madrid star Ronaldo, it is a chance to win the final in his native country of Portugal. They’ll face the winner of tomorrow’s semi-final second leg at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea FC and Atletico Madrid.

That means in the final there will either be an all-Madrid derby, out-doing last year’s all-Bundesliga final. Or Madrid will face former manager Jose Mourinho and his Chelsea squad. Either is a compelling storyline for the final, though the all-Madrid derby might not be as internationally appealing.

You can watch Ronaldo’s first goal below:

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