This time, a goalkeeping blunder. I’m back on the bench in a Champions League game, and I think that’s a good thing, “he said as Bayern retired 4-3 on aggregate”.
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“I know the corporate sector has a role to play in the modern game and I’m not saying they should be excluded, but devoting so many seats to them in showpiece occasions really doesn’t help the atmosphere”.
A graphic which topped one of their Champions League web pages appeared with the title “Season 2017/18”.
“You notice the great goalkeepers in the big matches”, Zidane said.
Manchester City and Rome have proven what happens to teams that lack intensity during certain match-phases and, in a final, there is even less time to recover. Although he arrived short of match sharpness and fitness when he arrived at Bayern last summer, he wasted little time in sweeping away the doubts.
Italy were beaten by Sweden in a qualification play-off meaning they would miss out on a World Cup for the first time since 1958.
Yet the former Borussia Dortmund Coach, who has already come out on the losing side in a CL final against Bayern Munich, wants to go the whole hog.
“I have to congratulate my team, I have not seen FC Bayern in such form for many years, it was the best football”.
“It’s a Champions League semi-final”.
Gini Wijnaldum was also looking forward to the final and admitted a win against the side trying to win the trophy for a third successive year would be a glorious achievement.
His 90 per cent pass completion rate is jaw-dropping given almost all of those balls would have been played in his opponents’ half of the pitch, and majority in the unforgiving, turbo-charged frenzy of the final third.
The Liverpool midfielder notched his ninth in this season’s Champions League when he teed up Firmino’s header for the Reds’ fifth goal in the first leg against Roma.
“It was a insane match”, Zidane said.
“We played better than in Munich”.
While Bayern took the lead early through Joshua Kimmich in the 3rd minute, the defending champions struck back with two goals from Karim Benzema.
Bayern started well and easily created scoring chances, while Madrid tried to control possession but only threatened on counterattacks with the speed of Ronaldo and Marco Asensio up front.
The Real defence looked pretty shaken despite the presence of the likes of Sergio Ramos and Rafael Varane.
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Real Madrid have been mightily successful under Zinedine Zidane in their usual shape of 4-3-3.
