Benzema, Rodrygo and Joselu. Madrid's miracle factory has uploaded its infinite list of saints to his last hero. Joselu, 34 years and 42 days old, will be loaned out by Espanyol at the start of the season after two successive relegations. Anyone give more? “You become a footballer to live what you have experienced in the past. Work brought me here. Many would have doubts at the start of the season. The perseverance, the confidence of the coach, of my teammates… The work pays off. With all those injuries, playing a final of Champions “These are big words,” the forward tried to explain after another inexplicable night at the Bernabéu, which saw Madrid reach their 18th European Cup final. “I didn't expect this team to do this either. Reaching the final is a success,” said a delighted Carlo Ancelotti.
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Andriy Lunin, Nacho, Dani Carvajal, Rüdiger, Ferland Mendy, Aurelien Tchouameni (Camavinga, min. 69), Federico Valverde (Joselu, min. 80), Kroos (Modric, min. 69), Jude Bellingham (Eder Militao, min. 69). 99), Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo (Brahim Diaz, min. 80)
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Neuer, Eric Dier, Joshua Kimmich, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, Laimer, Gnabry (Alphonso Davies, min. 27), Sane (Kim Min-Jae, min. 76), Jamal Musiala (Müller, min. 84), Aleksandar Pavlovic and Kane (Choupo-Moting, min. 84)
Goals 0-1 min 67: Alphonso Davies. 1-1 mins 87: Joselu. 2-1 mins 90: Joselu.
Referee Szymon Marciniak
Yellow cards Tuchel (min. 97) and Camavinga (min. 100)
“Two goals that get you a place in the final is not something everyone can say. Nights like today don't end up in your dreams. My teammates have seen that I am a humble, hardworking boy, and that I have worked and done things well from the beginning of the season,” claimed the striker, author of two goals in two minutes and 40 seconds to score a to raise the dead. man. Seventeen in total for the campaign coming off the bench.
Thomas Tüchel already warned: Madrid goals happen, they are not announced. To shoot Vinicius Whatever came out, Neuer trembled and Joselu appeared from the depths of the earth. Again. A butterfly flapping its wings in the middle of the desert caused another earthquake in Chamartín, the stadium that eats teams. PSG, Chelsea, City, Bayern… “The coach told us earlier: these games are also won with the heart,” Joselu remembers.
The striker had been sulking for three months. Since his goal against Rayo on a dull Sunday afternoon in Vallecas in early February, there was hardly any trace of Espanyol's goal. Last Saturday he had scored against Cádiz, but that was nothing more than an indirect victory in an already achieved victory.
Carlo Ancelotti had claimed Harry Kane to take Benzema's place a year ago. And the one who arrived in Valdebebas was Joselu, who had been relegated twice in a row. Carletto came on as an emergency resource in the 81st minute. The source from which Madrid extracted oil. There is always a resource for white people.
Bayern's anger
He equalized by taking the rebound from the German goalkeeper (“it was a mistake by our best player,” admitted Thomas Tüchel) and once again nothing was right in La Castellana. In reality, Madrid had the full nine minutes of injury time remaining. On a new wave of madness, Joselu crowned the biggest night of his career by finishing off an attacking move by Nacho and Rüdiger in the small area. If he traveled as a fan to the Paris final against Liverpool two years ago, he will be on the bench in London on June 1 for whatever happens.
The veteran cried at the edge of the area as the stadium thundered “Joselu, Joselu, Joselu.” The last miracle man in a very long story. Two shots and two goals for a player who played his first Champions League match last September. Vinicius took his shirt and showed it to the crowd. At 34 years and 42 days, Joselu Mato He became the oldest substitute to score a double in a Champions League knockout match.
While Madrid had another crazy night, Bayern felt frustrated and angry after the referee disallowed De Ligt's goal in stoppage time. “Having the balls to raise the flag is a big mistake. This would not have happened the other way around,” Tüchel complained. A censorship that was joined by the author of the target: “I think we all know the rules. If the offside is not clear, you must let the game play out. “It was a shame,” added the defender, who also admitted there are things about Madrid that no one can control. “When you think they are dead, they take one last breath. It is the reason for their 14 Champions League,” the central defender concluded dejectedly.
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