Bayern Munich 4 Real Madrid 3 (agg 6-4): Luis Diaz, Michael Olise seal Champions League classic

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An action-packed Champions League quarter-final saw Arda Guler score within 35 seconds after a Manuel Neuer error, five first-half goals, a decisive Eduardo Camavinga sending off and two brilliant late efforts from Luis Diaz and Michael Olise, as Bayern Munich progressed to the semi-finals with a 6-4 aggregate win against Real Madrid. It means Bayern will face the holders Paris Saint-Germain in the last four as they seek their first Champions League title in six years. A breathless match began with Guler putting Madrid ahead on the night after capitalising on that Neuer error. The Bayern goalkeeper came out of his box and sent a pass straight to the feet of the young Turkey midfielder, who fired home from range. But Bayern bounced back almost immediately, retaking the aggregate lead in the sixth minute as Aleksandar Pavlovic took advantage of some poor goalkeeping from Andrii Lunin and lax marking from Trent Alexander-Arnold to head home. Guler had another response. After what appeared to be a soft foul from Konrad Laimer on Brahim Diaz, the youngster stepped up to take the resulting free-kick in the 29th minute and embarrassed Neuer again with a whipped effort the German could not keep out. In an end-to-end first half, it was Bayern who struck next — with Harry Kane stroking home his 50th goal of the season from inside the area in the 38th minute after being played in all too easily by Dayot Upamecano. That made it 2-2 on the night and 4-3 to Bayern on aggregate. Madrid were undeterred, however, with Kylian Mbappe netting his 40th goal of the campaign after being played in by Vinicius Jr four minutes later. That moment saw Bayern coach Vincent Kompany shown a yellow card for his protests after Josip Stanisic appeared to be fouled by Antonio Rudiger in the build-up. Even if the goals dried up in the second half, the action was no less intense. Alexander-Arnold played in a fizzing pass to Mbappe which forced Neuer into a fine save in the 55th minute, while Upamecano sent a free header wide from a set piece in the 75th minute. But the crucial moment came when substitute Camavinga was shown two yellow cards, the second for delaying a restart. Bayern made the most of the man advantage, with Diaz firing home from outside the area in the 89th minute and Olise scoring an even more impressive effort in the fourth minute of added time to confirm the Germans’ place in the semis. Seb Stafford-Bloor, Dermot Corrigan and Anantaajith Raghuraman break it all down. How fitting for Diaz to be the difference. He spent this match teasing a decisive moment, jabbing in from the left hand side and prodding at Real’s defence. Never with much effect, though. When this transfer from Liverpool was confirmed, plenty of the reaction in Germany focused on Diaz’s age — he was already in his prime, with only a few years left. Why spend so heavily on a player who might only be able to produce for two or three seasons? Tonight was the answer and the vindication. Diaz was the best player available to Bayern last summer and any doubts about his age or cost were assuaged by the range and quality of his attacking output. It is hard not to think that when that deal was being evaluated at Bayern, their decision makers imagined exactly this moment. Diaz is a relentlessly positively player. Someone who keeps going, regardless of the game’s situation or state. Ultimately, that is what proved the difference here, in the dying minutes of a game which had started to lose its speed and urgency, and which was drifting towards extra time. Olise put Real Madrid away in stoppage time, but it was Diaz — with that last dart inside and quick-fired shot that deflected in — that broke them, sending Bayern to the semi-finals. Camavinga would have been disappointed not to start tonight, as the most like-for-like replacement for the suspended Aurelien Tchouameni, but he showed during his woeful 26 minutes on the pitch just why Alvaro Arbeloa had so little faith in him. Camavinga did not look confident or sharp at all after he replaced Brahim on 62 minutes, and Bayern kept making chances from the area he was supposed to be guarding — especially when Olise would cut in from the right wing into space around the edge of the Madrid area. Then came the two quick bookings which looked crucial by full-time — the second was perhaps slightly harsh, given there did not seem much contact on Kane, but holding onto the ball for too long gave the referee a chance to show the second yellow. It looked even worse for Camavinga when Diaz found space around the edge of the box to fire in the decisive goal just three minutes later. Although it was a good strike, and seemed to take a deflection, it still seemed like a self-inflicted wound for Madrid. Madrid exited the competition with the worst disciplinary record in the competition — with five red cards, including Guler for more protests to the referee at full-time tonight, and two really silly ones when they lost at Benfica in the group stages. It has been a chaotic season at the Bernabeu, with no shortage of questionable decisions made. This was just the latest. Water is wet, fire is hot, and the Champions League knockout phase delivers. This was the match of the season in multiple ways. It was a clash of styles between Vincent Kompany’s fluid, hyper-offensive team and Arbeloa’s counter-attacking style that has repeatedly worked for Madrid in this competition. There was one chance after another and five goals in the first half, each adding more shine to the scoresheet. The second half epitomised the ideological clash better than anything else, as Bayern aimed to unlock a staunch Madrid rearguard that resisted every cross and shot. Ultimately, as is common at this level, the game was decided by fine margins. Camavinga’s red card was promptly followed by Diaz finally attempting a shot from outside the box, with the deflection deciding the contest, before Olise added an inch-perfect finish in stoppage time. There is nothing quite like Champions League knockout football and the two teams who know that best conjured up an absolute classic. Madrid knew they needed  to do something special, and they were level on aggregate before many fans had even settled into their seats. Neuer’s misplaced pass played a big role, but not every player would have exploited the mistake as clinically as Guler did. The 21-year-old sized up the opportunity immediately, flighting a perfect, 40-yard-shot towards goal that took Bayern completely by surprise. The ball nestled in the empty net with just 35 seconds on the clock, making it the fastest Champions League goal this season and Madrid’s quickest ever in the competition. Guler does have a taste for the spectacular — scoring from even further out (68 metres) in Madrid’s 4-1 La Liga win against Elche exactly a month ago. Madrid had dragged it back to 2-2 on aggregate, but not for long, as Lunin and defender Trent Alexander-Arnold somehow allowed Pavlovic to nod in unmarked from two yards to put Bayern back ahead in the tie. Madrid needed more magic from somewhere — and Guler stepped up again after what appeared to be a soft foul from Laimer on Brahim, flighting a superb 25-yard free kick with the instep of his left foot right into the top corner, with a scrambling Neuer beaten again. Having not scored in 20 Champions League games over his career before tonight, Guler had two spectacular strikes within half an hour. It looked as if he might follow in the tradition of players such as Joselu, Rodrygo and Federico Valverde stepping up to help the side to victory on a big Champions League night, but it was not to be for the Spaniards. A week is a long time in football. Manuel Neuer knows that — he’s been around for long enough. But this was another reminder. Last Tuesday, the 40-year-old was inarguably the best player on the pitch at the Bernabeu, making a string of saves that he would have been proud of back in his mid-twenties. This evening, time tapped on his shoulder. Neuer looked every inch a veteran goalkeeper in his twilight. He gifted Madrid the first goal of the game by miscuing a simple pass to Guler. No matter, the Allianz Arena thought, because Neuer has survived at the top of the game by his capacity to remain impervious to doubt. Not so; he was rattled and spent the rest of the half hacking at his clearances, sending ripples of doubt around the stadium each time. He was culpable for the second goal, too. Guler’s free kick was excellent. But Neuer’s progress across his line was glacial and his attempt to save was clumsy. His career has been about making difficult saves look simple. This was the opposite. This was him making his position look harder than it really is. There was redemption of sorts in the second half, with a defiant save from a falling Mbappe volley, but Neuer was still indebted to his team-mates by the end of the night. He has saved Bayern more times than anyone can remember over the past decade and a half. Tonight, it was the other way around, and a player of his class and pride will hate that it had to be that way. What a test for Bayern and what an endorsement of their Champions League credentials. This was one of those incredibly stubborn Real Madrid performances. They did not do much and they did not play on the front foot very often, but they never lost their menace. In addition to which, Bayern conceded two horrendous goals and a third which, replays suggested perhaps should not have counted because of Rudiger’s foul on Stanisic. It was frightening from a German perspective, because how often have they delivered this exact performance in the knockout rounds? And when they have done, the result has nearly always fallen in the favour. And yet Bayern never wavered — they were not spooked. There was no loss of control, nor any evidence in their football that they were bruised by the events of the evening. In fact, it was Real who cracked first, with Camavinga red carded for a baffling show of petulance before Guler’s full-time sending off. By contrast, Bayern were measured and allowed their technical quality to ultimately decide the game. So, all sorts of attacking power and deep resilience, shown against a club that consistently befuddle Europe’s best. It is hard not to consider Bayern favourites from here, or to think anyone capable of beating them will end the season as European champions. Sunday April 19: Stuttgart (home), Bundesliga, 4.30pm UK time, 11.30am ET Tuesday April 21: Alaves (home), La Liga, 8.30pm UK time, 3.30pm ET Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms