This had been billed as a must-watch tie and it certainly proved the case on a frenetic, end-to-end night at the Bernabeu.
Luis Diaz netted the opener with an accomplished finish shortly before half-time with Harry Kane – on his return from picking up a knock on international duty with England last month – doubling the visitors’ advantage just 20 seconds after the restart.
But Real Madrid showed their class on the counter and offered more evidence of how destructive they can be in full flow. Kylian Mbappe, the competition’s top goalscorer, halved their advantage with a close-range strike past keeper Manuel Neuer in the 74th minute – teed up by Trent Alexander-Arnold, desperate to prove himself with England manager Thomas Tuchel watching on.
Both Mbappe and Vinicius Junior were denied several times by Neuer, who made nine saves, and Bayern failed to make their control of the game count as Dayot Upamecano, Serge Gnabry and Jamal Musiala all missed chances.
It means the German giants will start next week’s second leg with only a one-goal lead, with the tie very much in the balance.
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Harry Kane on ‘hype’Harry Kane continues: “All the hype around [this game], coming to Madrid and trying to get a result its always a difficult thing to do. We had some good chances, credit to them they did too. We can be really happy with the win and take it into next week.
“We’ve enjoyed some really good moments together. We’re in the business end of the season now. The more you play and train together the feelings get even stronger. We always feel dangerous we always feel like we can score goals for sure.
“We’re in a good position, we have to stay focused. Now it’s just about recovering and the time will come next week to try and do the same again.”
Flo Clifford7 April 2026 22:35
Harry Kane back to fitnessSignificantly, Kane played all 90 minutes tonight, having been a doubt to feature at all after picking up a knock on international duty. Back to fitness and clearly not rusty after 16 days without playing a minute.
Flo Clifford7 April 2026 22:24
Harry Kane: ‘It’s a one-goal lead and that can change quickly’Here’s what Harry Kane had to say to TNT Sports: “I thought we played some really good stuff today. There were areas where we could have done even better; maybe the final ball. We had some good chances but credit to them, so did they – Manuel [Neuer] made some important saves. Overall we’re happy with the win.”
He’s asked what he was doing staring into the away section after the full-time whistle, and explains it’s where the players’ families were sitting. “I was trying to find my wife and family but I couldn’t quite pick them out. They were in there somewhere.
“We’re in a good position but as always, it’s a one-goal lead and that can change quickly. We’ll try to perform as we did today.”
Flo Clifford7 April 2026 22:19
Bayern Munich win at the BernabeuThat was Harry Kane’s 49th goal of the season and 11th in the Champions League – and his first outside the box in Europe.
(Getty Images)Flo Clifford7 April 2026 22:12
Bayern Munich win at the BernabeuWhat had been billed as a must-watch clash certainly proved to be so. Luis Diaz and Harry Kane – the latter on his return from a knock on international duty – sealed the win but Kylian Mbappe’s late strike made this a full-on contest. Ultimately Bayern withstood a late storm – helped by some fine saves by Manuel Neuer – for their first win at the Bernabeu in 25 years.
(AP)Flo Clifford7 April 2026 22:09
Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern MunichThe verdict from our man on the ground: “In the end a brilliant game for the neutral as Bayern secure a slender first-leg lead to take back to the Allianz. They probably should have won by a wider margin and you wonder if they might regret that next week, but overall it’s the kind of performance that marks a side out as one of the favourites in the Champions League.”
(Getty Images)Chris Wilson at the Bernbeu7 April 2026 21:55
FULL TIME: Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich‘90+4: Two defeats in a row for Real Madrid, and Bayern take a one-goal lead back to Bavaria!
An enthralling game, but the tie is by no means over: both sides should have had more, and Bayern certainly should have a significantly bigger cushion. How consequential will those missed chances be next week?
Flo Clifford7 April 2026 21:55
Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich90+4: Olise thinks he was fouled by Carreras in the box but Michael Oliver disagrees.
Flo Clifford7 April 2026 21:53
Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich‘90+2: Bayern have been pretty wasteful. Another loose pass by Diaz and they might rue that too…
Luis Diaz and Pavlovic go off, Goretzka and Bischof come on.
Flo Clifford7 April 2026 21:52
Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich‘90+1: Bayern will be kicking themselves. The corner is cleared and Diaz gets away, but his attempted pass to Olise in the box is all wrong and the ball rolls harmlessly away!
Flo Clifford7 April 2026 21:51
