Bayern Munich suffered a heartbreaking late defeat as Real Madrid secured their place in the Champions League final – but have Thomas Tuchel’s substitutions cost his team?
With Bayern leading 1-0 that evening 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 in the Scored in the 88th and 91st minutes.
Even after more than 15 minutes of stoppage time, Bayern were unable to force extra time – and their chances of doing so were hurt by Tuchel’s decision to replace Kane and Jamal Musiala just minutes before Joselu’s goal.
They were decisions that backfired dramatically. Without Kane and Musiala, Bayern’s attacking threat had completely disappeared. In fact, after these substitutions, they only had one chance – a shot from Noussair Mazraoui that almost went out of bounds.
Tuchel said after the game that he had to replace all four of his attackers – Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane were substituted at the start of the game – due to injuries and cramps.
But given how little game time is left and Bayern only have a one-goal lead, could Tuchel have asked Kane to hold out for the rest of the game?
Although physically weakened, Kane has scored 44 goals this season and poses a greater threat than Thomas Müller and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, the strikers with a combined age of 69 who Tuchel called up from the bench.
The England captain had provided the assist for Alphonso Davies’ goal that would send Bayern to Wembley – one of two chances he had more than any other Bayern player that night.
Alphonso Davies celebrates after giving Bayern Munich the lead with a spectacular goal against Real Madrid
But it’s not just the Kane swap that Tuchel may regret. In the 76th minute, Min-Jae Kim came on as Bayern switched to a five-man defense.
The defender endured a nightmarish first leg, being involved in both of Real’s goals and again being responsible for the winning goal, playing Real’s entire team onside as Antonio Rüdiger crossed for Joselu.
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Kane may have had the assist for Davies’ goal, but that goal was largely thanks to the work of the full-back, who played as a winger in place of the injured Gnabry.
In fact, Kane’s pass to Davies was one of just four he completed in his entire time on the pitch – by far the lowest number of any player who started the game.
The 30-year-old seemed out of sync for most of the game and didn’t hit enough 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 Rüdiger and Nacho intervening to win the ball on multiple occasions.
Real Madrid players celebrate after Joselu scores his team’s second goal
Tuchel was apparently unimpressed by his attackers’ performance and said after the game: “We weren’t determined enough on our counterattacks – we could have scored if we had been more targeted and calmer.”
Kane’s understated performance contributes to the narrative that he is unable to perform on the biggest stages. It is a fact that Kane has not scored a goal in a Champions League final, a European Championship final and two League Cup finals. In fact, Kane lost all four of those games.
The striker most recently missed a penalty when England were eliminated by France in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
It is also true that Kane has scored twice in six career games in the Champions League quarter-finals or beyond – both were penalties.
This meant that Bayern’s entire season – and Tuchel’s Bavarian reign – was at stake. Since the Bundesliga had already given up and the DFB Cup was long over, the Champions League was the only trophy that Bayern still had within reach.
They will now end the season empty-handed for the first time in over a decade as the search for a head coach drags on after being rejected by Xabi Alonso, Julian Nagelsmann and Ralf Rangnick.
It is unlikely that even these rejections will lead to a U-turn from Tuchel, who will leave Bayern with questions about his future career – while Kane continues to wait for his first professional trophy.
Tuchel: Attackers were injured or cramped
Leroy Sane had problems and was replaced by Min-Jae Kim in the 76th minute
Bayern Munich Manager Thomas Tuchel told TNT Sports: “We were almost through, almost at the finish line. You’re never quite sure because it’s in Madrid.”
“We weren’t determined enough on our counterattacks – we could have scored if we had been more targeted and calm.”
“Part of the story is that we start with the first four players and all four players have to go out due to injuries and cramps. At this level it’s too much.”
“When you are further 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 have to be perfect, we just have to be good enough tonight.”
“The team has everything, we did it together. Then, when a player was out because of cramps, we conceded a goal that we never concede 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 is the Champions League final 2024?
The final takes place at Wembley Stadium on Saturday June 1st between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund – kick-off is at 8pm UK time.
Follow live updates on the Sky Sports website and Sky Sports app.
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