Real Madrid died on the brink of the comeback, involved in an epic that was insufficient to beat Bayern Munich, who signed a victory (4-3) with which the team’s season ended. Álvaro Arbeloa, who said goodbye with dignity to the last opportunity that on other occasions worked for him: the Champions League.
The white awakening, with the Super Cup, the Cup and the League lost, came late. He had no other options and gave everything he had at the Allianz Arena. He had an unleashed first half, constricted himself in the second and kneeled on the minute 87, when Luis Díaz scored 3-3 just after Camavinga was sent off, once again signaled. A cruel ending.
And there are nights in Europe that cannot be explained, they are felt. This began with an unexpected twist, one of those that football loves so much and that baffles logic so much. Because at the Allianz Arena, where the prominence of Mbappé, the speed of Vinícius or the leadership of Bellingham was expected, a name emerged that was not in the spotlight: Güler.
And he did it without asking permission. At 39 seconds. Not one more. An inappropriate error by Neuer, a giant in the first leg, opened the door. Bad delivery, ball to the center, and Güler, without even controlling it, sent it directly into the net. So, without a prologue. Real Madrid equalized the tie before the match picked up pace.
That goal didn’t calm anything down; On the contrary, it turned on a first part of those that justify the price of admission. Back and forth, vertigo and determination. Real Madrid, true to its nature, without giving up. Bayern, with the same eleven that won the Bernabéu, exerted suffocating pressure, as if each ball were the last and smothered the whites’ exit.
Arbeloa’s team – with Ferland Mendy to contain Olise and Brahim Díaz instead of a doubtful Camavinga—couldn’t control the match, but they did have a punch. And in Europe, that is enough to stay alive.
Bayern responded quickly. After five minutes, a corner found Pavlovic’s head near the goal. Lunin mistimed the start and Alexander-Arnold stayed halfway. Draw. Start again. And there the match became a test of endurance.
⏸️DC: @FCBayernES (6) 4-3 (4) @Real Madrid
⚽ 1′ @10ArdaGuler
⚽ 6′ Pavlović
⚽ 29′ @10ArdaGuler
⚽ 38′ Harry Kane
⚽ 42′ @KMbappe
⚽ 89′ Luis Díaz
⚽ 90’+4′ Olise pic.twitter.com/WhtX5PPWg5— Real Madrid CF (@realmadrid) April 15, 2026
For 25 minutes, Bayern pressed, dominated and pushed Madrid towards their area. But when it seemed that the script had an owner, Güler returned. Foul on the edge of the area, left-footed profile and a shot close to Neuer’s corner: great goal.
But it was not a night to manage advantages. It was a night of resisting the blows. Kimmich warned, Stanisic insisted and Lunin responded until the inevitable appeared: Harry Kane. Because Kane doesn’t usually forgive. And he did not forgive. The play was born in a central crack that Upamecano found, with Alexander-Arnold again distracted. Control, pause and definition. Goal. Tie again.
And when the break was approaching, Real Madrid remembered who they are. First, a warning from Vinícius to the crossbar. Then, the third blow: a perfect counter, Mbappé’s definition against Neuer and 2-3.
The second half was more content and tactical, with the end getting closer. There was no room for errors. Bayern insisted with the ball close to the area, but with less intensity in the pressure and more space for Real Madrid’s counterattacks.
This created gaps for Mbappé’s speed, which unbalanced on several occasions. The clearest at the beginning, to which Neuer responded. On the other side, appeared Alexander-Arnold, who avoided Luis Díaz’s shot at the last moment, when he was going to define alone against Lunin. There were fewer actions than in the first part, but the tension was evident.
And so the final minutes were reached, with both teams one goal away from the semifinals and with fear of a decisive error. Everything was defined in a detail: Camavinga, signaled in recent days, was sent off for a double warning in the 87th minute, after having entered in the 62nd minute.
Then Luis Díaz appeared. Right after, in the 87th minute, the Colombian took a powerful shot from outside the area that sealed the match.
Afterwards, Olise closed the score with the final 4-3 and Real Madrid’s epic faded in two moments, in which the season was finished: goodbye to the Cup, goodbye to the League and goodbye to Europe. Arbeloa’s team showed its face, but late. End.