In the first leg of the "European Derby," Real Madrid lost to the 40-year-old Neuer.

Written by Han Bing. "This is why you came to watch the match," said Kompany after achieving his 100th game as Bayern coach, following a 2-1 victory at the Bernabéu. The match was full of twists and turns, with several controversial refereeing decisions. There were 40 shots overall, evenly split between the two giants Real Madrid and Bayern—with goals from Díaz and Kane, Bayern ended their 14-year streak of not winning against Real Madrid in the Champions League, as well as a 25-year record of not winning at the Bernabéu. Kane and Mbappé demonstrated superstar quality, but the player who won the best-of-the-match award was the 40-year-old veteran goalkeeper Neuer, who made nine saves.

The clash between Real Madrid and Bayern is called the "European Derby." Before this match, both teams ranked top two in Europe in terms of Champions League appearances (Real Madrid: 515, Bayern: 418), quarter-final entries (Real Madrid: 41, Bayern: 36), and semi-final entries (Real Madrid: 33, Bayern: 21). Real Madrid leads in final appearances (18), while Bayern ties with Milan (11) for second place; Bayern ranks third in titles won, just one fewer than Milan. Additionally, these two sides have faced each other the most times in the Champions League (29 matches).

Real Madrid were confident before the match, having eliminated the German giants in their last four two-legged encounters, most recently in the 2023/24 Champions League semi-finals. At home, they had won seven and drawn one in their last eight meetings against Bayern. Since a 3-4 loss to Schalke 04 in the 2015 Champions League round of 16, Real Madrid had remained unbeaten in 12 home matches against seven German clubs. Conversely, Bayern had lost seven and drawn two in their last nine matches against Real Madrid, and in their last eight two-legged knockout ties against Spanish teams, they had lost seven and won only one—against Sevilla in the 2017/18 Champions League quarter-finals. Real Madrid also had what fans fondly call the "Bayern good-luck sign" and the "German good-luck sign": since the 1997/98 season, during Real Madrid's golden era in the Champions League, they have won the title nine times, and in eight of those seasons they eliminated a German team in the knockout stages (14 times overall). Six of those titles came after eliminating Bayern, making the German powerhouse Real Madrid's most frequent "stepping stone" to glory.

Despite Bayern's displeasure, UEFA allowed Real Madrid to close the roof of the Bernabéu to create the best home "sound wave" effect. Real Madrid displayed a 360° panoramic banner covering the entire stands, fully amplifying the atmosphere of the European Derby. However, Spanish media and data agencies expressed concern before the match, as Bayern were the top attacking force in Europe's top five leagues this season: they had the highest shot efficiency (one goal per 5.3 shots) and shot accuracy (19%), the most goals (146) and the best goal difference (+103). Kane, Díaz, and Olise had scored 57 goals as a trio, 19 more than Mbappé, Vinícius, and Bellingham. Opta predicted Real Madrid's win probability was only 33.2%, lower than Bayern's 42.7%.

Despite their sharp attack, Bayern surprisingly didn't break the deadlock until the 41st minute. Vinícius made a back-pass error in his own half, the ball hitting Olise's back and deflecting to Kane, who then passed to an unmarked Gnabry; Gnabry's through ball found Díaz to open the scoring. Just 20 seconds into the second half, Carreras was dispossessed by Pavlović in midfield; Pavlović passed to Olise, who broke into the right side of the box and crossed to Kane on the left, and the English striker finished instantly. After Álvaro brought on Militão and Bellingham, Real Madrid's attack improved. In the 74th minute, Bellingham initiated an attack, Arnold assisted Mbappé, giving Real Madrid hope for a comeback in the second leg.

Mbappé had previously performed poorly against Bayern: since his first encounter in the 2017/18 season, he had won only two and lost five in seven matches, and in his last three games against Bayern he lost all three with zero goals and assists. Although he ended his three-game goal drought against Bayern in this match, he still couldn't help Real Madrid win at home. Neuer, aged 40 years and 11 days, made nine spectacular saves, including consecutive stops against Vinícius and Mbappé in the first half, and later denying Vinícius's one-on-one and Mbappé's sudden strike. In this offensive battle, Neuer deservedly earned the best-of-the-match award.

After the match, Real Madrid coach Álvaro complained that in the 71st minute Mbappé was tripped from behind by Jonathan Tah, who should have received a red card instead of a yellow. However, from Bayern's perspective, the biggest refereeing controversy occurred in the fourth minute of added time when Carreras touched Olise from behind in the box; despite Bayern players protesting for a penalty, the referee made no call. Of course, Bayern's failure to win by a larger margin was mainly due to missed chances by Musiala and others late in the game.

Bayern ended their 25-year record of not winning at the Bernabéu—in the 2001 Champions League semi-final, Bayern triumphed at the Bernabéu thanks to Élber's goal and eventually won the title by beating dark horse Valencia in a penalty shootout in the final. Although in the 2017 Champions League quarter-final second leg, Bayern under Ancelotti won 2-1 at the Bernabéu in regular time, they lost in extra time after the aggregate score was tied, conceding three goals to Real Madrid.

Kompany, who achieved a historic victory in his 100th game as Bayern coach, calmly stated after the match that everything starts from zero again in the second leg at the Allianz Arena. However, Real Madrid exposed serious problems in both attack and defense at home, and the second leg will be further hampered by the suspension of key midfielder Tchouaméni. Previously, Real Madrid had only overturned one of seven European knockout ties where they lost the first leg at home—against Austrian minnows Innsbruck in the 1971 European Cup Winners' Cup second leg. Bayern's triumph at the Bernabéu 25 years ago led them all the way to the title, giving Bayern a significant psychological advantage.

Last weekend, Real Madrid suffered a surprise defeat to Mallorca in La Liga, leaving them seven points behind Barcelona with only eight rounds remaining, making their title hopes slim. Next week at the Allianz Arena, Real Madrid face a season-defining battle; if they are eliminated from the Champions League, this season will end early with no trophies.