And then there were two.
Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid will meet in the UEFA Champions League final on June 1 in London’s Wembley Stadium after clinching their respective semifinal series this week.
Dortmund dispatched Paris Saint-Germain in France with a second consecutive 1-0 victory on Tuesday, while Real Madrid bested Bayern Munich 2-1 at home after the teams battled to a draw last week in Germany.
Here’s what stood out about this week’s second legs of the semifinals.
REAL MADRID vs. BAYERN MUNICH
Alphonso Davies impresses in a losing effort
Limited to a three-minute cameo off the bench in last week’s 2-2 stalemate, Canadian superstar Alphonso Davies once again started on the bench for Bayern Munich in Wednesday’s return leg. He didn’t end up sitting down for very long, entering the game in the 27th minute for the injured Serge Gnarby, and immediately slotting in on the left side of Bayern’s front three behind striker Harry Kane.
Davies, a 23-year-old from Edmonton, is signed to Bayern Munich through to June 2025, but the Bavarian giants have been trying to ink him to a contract extension over the past few months while he’s been linked with a move to Real Madrid. He’s fallen down the depth chart at Bayern this season, but if Wednesday’s match served as a job interview, you have to think the Canadian will soon be plying his trade for the Spanish outfit.
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The youngster nearly opened the scoring early in the second half, only to see Real fullback Dani Carvajal deflect his angled shot just over the crossbar. But the former Vancouver Whitecap wouldn’t be denied, scoring a highlight reel effort in the 68th minute (more on that later).
It didn’t stand up, as Real fought back with two late goals to pull out the win. But Davies’ performance off the bench was stellar, giving Bayern’s attack a much-needed boost with his pace and direct play down the left side while finishing the game with two shots, one key pass and an 84.2 percent pass success rate.
Joselu the super sub for Real Madrid
Trailing 1-0 and needing a goal to keep Real Madrid’s hopes alive, manager Carlo Ancelotti turned to his bench in the 81st minute and subbed on Joselu and Brahim Díaz for Federico Valverde and Rodrygo.
The Italian tactician’s double switch proved decisive for the hosts. Just seven minutes after stepping onto the pitch, Joselu pounced on a rebound attempt given up by Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer off a shot by teammate Vinícius Júnior and slammed the ball home. Then in the first minute of extra time, Joselu scored from close range off a feed across the box from Antonio Rüdiger. The goal was originally ruled offside before being given following a VAR review.
Joselu enhanced his reputation as Real Madrid’s super sub: He’s scored a team-high five goals off the bench for the La Liga club in all competitions this season. The German-born forward made history on Wednesday by becoming the oldest substitute player (34 years and 42 days) to score a brace in a knockout game in the Champions League. He also boasts the best minutes-per-goal ratio (an average of one goal every 54 minutes) of any player to have featured for at least 100 minutes in the Champions League this season.
He said it
“We’ve seen it a lot of times this season when it looked as though we’re dead and buried … it doesn’t matter who scores the goals, but someone always manages it … that mentality of never say die.” – Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham.
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN vs. BORUSSIA DORTMUND
Borussia Dortmund slogs through in Paris
All eyes were on Paris Saint-Germain in this one to see if they could break down Borussia Dortmund after being shut out in the first leg in Germany last week. The hosts enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and created the better chances, but the Bundesliga outfit held firm and deservedly advanced to the final courtesy of a masterful defensive display in Paris.
Veteran centre-back Mat Hummels anchored a stout and well-organized back line which was ably abetted by the industrious Emre Can in central midfield. Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, PSG’s pair of speedy forwards, and fullback Achraf Hakimi found little joy against the Yellow Submarine, who brilliantly managed the game and thwarted the dynamic attacking trio at almost every turn. The Germans also had luck on their side – PSG hit the woodwork four times in the game.
“Ousmane and Achraf brought a tremendous amount of pace, and we suffered a lot,” Dortmund midfielder Marco Reus offered. “How we won the game, no one will ask tomorrow. Shots against the post won’t matter tomorrow. What counts is that Borussia Dortmund is in the final again. Nobody expected this. It’s just incredible.”
Mbappé’s last stand with PSG ends in disappointment
French forward Kylian Mbappé is set to leave PSG in the summer, with Real Madrid the most likely destination. So, this was his final European match with the French club. It turned out to be one he’ll never forget but for the wrong reasons.
The French international missed two quality scoring chances at the Parc des Princes which would have been enough to force extra time and give PSG a lifeline. Aside from that, he had a quiet night and was unable to cause moments of genuine distress for Dortmund. As a result, PSG once again came up short in the Champions League, leaving them and Mbappé to reflect on what might have been.
“I’m the guy who should score goals and be decisive. When things are good, I take all the limelight and when they are not, you have to take the shadow. That’s not a problem. The first one who should have scored tonight was me. That’s life and we have to move on, me and the team,” Mbappé said.
He said it
“Efficiency, that’s what we were missing. We should have defended better. They scored from a corner and a counterattack [in the first leg]. We created more chances, but they won both games.” – PSG captain Marquinhos.
ODDS & ENDS
Best goal
In the 68th minute, Harry Kane played a high ball that released Alphonso Davies down the left side. The Canadian international took on Antonio Rüdiger before cutting inside on the Real Madrid centre-back and unleashing a gorgeous, right-footed curler that nestled inside the far corner.
Best save
In the 13th minute, Real took a quick throw-in and Vinícius Júnior picked up possession just inside the Bayern box on the right and fired a low shot from inside the box that Manuel Neuer managed to just tip onto the far post. Rodrygo hammered a rebound attempt goalwards, but Neuer parried it away, too.
Six-pack of stats
– Wednesday’s game saw Alphonso Davies score his first-ever Champions League goal in 40 appearances.
– Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane scored eight UEFA Champions League goals this season, the most by an English player in a single campaign.
– Real Madrid’s Rodrygo recorded at least two shots in all 12 of his UEFA Champions League appearances this season (38 in total).
– PSG fielded the youngest starting lineup (average age of 24 years and 157 days) in the Champions League semifinals since Arsenal against Manchester United in 2008-09 (24 years and 26 days).
– Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels (35 years and 143 days) is the oldest German ever to score a goal in a UEFA Champions League knockout match.
– PSG have lost six of their seven UEFA Champions League semifinal matches (83%), the highest ratio of any team to play at least five.
* Stats courtesy of Opta.
Three stars
1. Joselu (Real Madrid): The veteran Spanish striker bagged a brace in the dying minutes of the match to completely turn the game around for Real Madrid and send it through to next month’s final at Wembley.
2. Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund): The veteran German centre-back capped off a brilliant defensive effort (10 clearances, four tackles, three interceptions and two blocked shots) by scoring the game-winner.
3. Julian Ryerson (Borussia Dortmund): The Norwegian right fullback did a masterful job of containing Paris Saint-Germain danger man Kylian Mbappé for most of the night.
A quick look ahead to the final
Real Madrid has qualified for its 18th Champions League/European Cup final and will be looking to extend its tournament record by hoisting the trophy for the 15th time. Los Blancos last won the title by defeating Liverpool in the 2022 final in Paris.
Borussia Dortmund is off to the UEFA Champions League final for the third time after winning it all in 1996-97 (vs. Juventus) and finishing runners-up in 2012-13 (vs. Bayern Munich). Their last appearance in the final was also at Wembley Stadium.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic can be found here.
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