Real Madrid Advance To UEFA Champions League Final With Dominant Victory Over Defending Champ Bayern Munich

Thanks to a dominant opening half, La Liga giants Real Madrid moved past defending champion Bayern Munich in the 2013-2014 UEFA Champions League semifinals Tuesday afternoon in Germany. Los Blancos earned a crucial 1-0 opening leg victory at the Santiago Bernabeu last week and while many thought the Spanish side would be in for a daunting task against a Bayern club playing in front of 71,000-plus fans at the Allianz Arena, Cristiano Ronaldo and company were unfazed as they made their way into the May 24 final, which will be played at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon.

Madrid’s dominance began in the 16^th-minute when Sergio Ramos played a header from the center of the box past Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer to put Los Blancos on top 1-0. The early goal was crucial as far as moment was concerned, especially since the score gave Ramos’ side a two-goal aggregate lead on the road, something that isn’t easy to do in one of the most competitive soccer tournaments in the world. While the goal at the 16-minute mark certainly set the tone, Ramos wasn’t done. Firing back just four minutes later with his second of the match, the Spanish star gave his squad an even bigger lift, which ultimately proved to be enough.

A goal from 2013 Ballon d’Or Award winner Cristiano Ronaldo in the 34^th minute (he also scored in the 89th minute) capped off an impressive 45-minute run for a Real Madrid squad looking to reach the franchise’s first UEFA Champions League final since the 2001-2002 campaign, which saw Los Blancos take down Bayer Leverkusen in Glasgow to claim the title. Strong netminding from veteran Iker Casillas coupled with tremendous defense helped Real Madrid end a truly brilliant semifinal series. Holding star talents in Mario Götze, Arjen Robben, Thomas Müller and Franck Ribéry scoreless through two matches is not easy to do, but thanks to their efforts, Real Madrid will now be able to celebrate a trip to the final.

La Liga affiliate Atletico Madrid and Barclays Premier League club Chelsea will meet in the second leg of their UCL semifinal on Wednesday, April 30 after both sides failed to register a goal in the opening showdown.