Bayern Munich suffered a heartbreaking defeat as Real Madrid secured their place in the Champions League final – but did Thomas Tuchel’s substitutions cost his team?
With Bayern 1-0 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate, Tuchel’s side were due to face domestic rivals Borussia Dortmund in the final at Wembley on Saturday June 1 – until Joselu scored in the 88th and 91st minutes.
Even with more than 15 minutes of injury time played, Bayern were unable to force extra time – and their chances of doing so were hampered by Tuchel’s decision to replace Kane and Jamal Musiala just minutes before Joselu scored .
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Football writer and broadcaster Henry Winter and The Times’ Martin Hardy discuss Thomas Tuchel’s decision to replace Harry Kane in Bayern Munich’s defeat to Real Madrid.
These were decisions that backfired dramatically. Bayern’s attacking threat has entirely dissipated without Kane and Musiala. In fact, they only had one shot after those changes – an effort from Noussair Mazraoui that nearly failed on a throw.
Tuchel said after the match that he had to replace all four of his strikers – Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane were replaced earlier in the match – due to injuries and cramps.
But with so little time remaining and Bayern only holding a one-goal lead, could Tuchel have asked Kane to hold on for the rest of the match?
Even though he is physically diminished, Kane has 44 goals this season and poses a bigger threat than Thomas Muller and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, the strikers with a total age of 69 that Tuchel has called on the bench.
The England captain had provided the assist for Alphonso Davies’ goal which looked set to send Bayern to Wembley – one of two chances he created on the night, more than any other Bayern player.
Alphonso Davies celebrates after putting Bayern Munich ahead against Real Madrid with a spectacular goal
But it’s not just replacing Kane that Tuchel could regret. In the 76th minute, Min-Jae Kim came on as Bayern switched to a five-man defense.
The defender endured a nightmare first leg, playing a part in both of Real’s goals, and was at fault again for the winner, taking on the entire Real team as Antonio Rudiger crossed for Joselu.
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Kane may have claimed the assist for Davies’ goal, but the strike owed everything to the work of the full-back, who was playing as a winger in place of the injured Gnabry.
In fact, Kane’s pass to Davies was one of four passes he completed in his entire time on the pitch – comfortably the lowest number among all players who started the match.
The 30-year-old looked late for much of the match, sending insufficient passes to Sane and Davies in the first half which could have sparked dangerous counter-attacks.
Kane also won less than 50 percent of his duels, with Antonio Rudiger and Nacho stepping in to pinch the ball on several occasions.
Real Madrid players celebrate Joselu’s second goal
Tuchel was clearly unimpressed with his attackers’ performance, saying after the match: “We weren’t clinical enough in our counter-attacks – we could have scored if we had been more clinical and calmer.”
Kane’s understated performance plays into the narrative that he’s failing to ascend to the biggest stages. It is a fact that, in a Champions League final, a European Championship final and two League Cup finals, Kane failed to score. Indeed, Kane lost these four matches.
Most recently, the striker missed a penalty as England were knocked out of the 2022 World Cup in the quarter-finals by France.
It is also true that in six career games in the Champions League quarter-finals or beyond, Kane has scored twice, both from the penalty spot.
It was Bayern’s entire season – and Tuchel’s Bavarian reign – on the line. With the Bundesliga already abandoned and the DFB Pokal long gone, the Champions League was the only trophy within Bayern’s reach.
They will now end the season empty-handed for the first time in over a decade, while their search for a head coach drags on after being turned down by the likes of Xabi Alonso, Julian Nagelsmann and Ralf Rangnick.
Even these rejections are unlikely to lead to an about-face from Tuchel, who is set to leave Bayern with questions about the rest of his career – while Kane awaits his first professional trophy.
Tuchel: The attackers were injured or had cramps
Leroy Sane struggled and was replaced by Min-Jae Kim in the 76th minute.
Bayern Munich director Thomas Tuchel said TNT Sports: “We were almost there, almost. You’re never completely sure because it’s in Madrid.
“We weren’t clinical enough in our counter-attacks. We could have scored if we had been more clinical and calmer.
“Part of the story is we start with the top four and all four players have to come out because of injuries and cramps. It’s too much at this level.
“If you go through in the 88th minute you see the end of the tunnel. It wasn’t our best game but we said before that we don’t need to be perfect, we just need to be good enough tonight .
“The team has everything, we did it together. Then, with a player out with cramps, we conceded a goal that we have never conceded with our goalkeeper.
“The good situation is that we gave everything. That’s the most important thing, then in sport you accept the result.”
When will the 2024 Champions League final take place?
The final takes place on Saturday June 1 at Wembley between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund – kick-off 8pm UK time.
Follow live updates on the Sky Sports website and Sky Sports app.
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