Tuesday’s first leg of Real Madrid’s Champions League semifinal against Bayern Munich ended in a 2-2 draw thanks to two goals from Vinícius Júnior.

Before the second leg in Madrid on May 8, which Bayern dominated but Madrid managed to win, the match is still very much up in the air.

Even though his bright green boots were frequently a blur on a night when everyone was focused on England stars Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham as well as Toni Kroos rejoining his old side, Vinícius emerged as the key player.

The Brazilian forward scored the first goal against the flow of play in the 24th minute, and after Leroy Sané and Kane had scored goals for Bayern, he equalized with a composed penalty kick in the 83rd.

After leading Bayern to the Bundesliga title in 2017, Carlo Ancelotti, the coach of Madrid, stated, “I think it’s a good result.” “It boosts our confidence and faith for the second leg. It’s totally accessible.”

The England forward’s goal, which came from a penalty kick, was his 43rd goal for Bayern this season in 43 appearances.

According to Kroos, “it felt like the goals were scored when the other team was better.” “We have a good feeling that we’ll win at home.”

The bulk of the 75,000 spectators in the stadium let out deafening whistles as the visitors arrived, making it seem as though they were playing in a red cauldron. Bayern had encouraged supporters to wear red to the match.

Before the game, “Südkurve” supporters honored the late Franz Beckenbauer, the legendary player for the team, with a spectacular red-and-white dance. As the players warmed up, a massive banner said, “To honor the Kaiser Franz, give everything to reach the final!”

The two-leg semifinal winners will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Borussia Dortmund in the London final on June 1.

Thomas Tuchel, the coach of Bayern Munich, stated, “We shouldn’t be too disappointed because Real Madrid does this to teams.” “I believe we can generate opportunities at the Bernabéu.” Yes, this is one of the hardest areas to win, but it’s still a struggle. Its beauty lies in that.

On Tuesday, Bayern completely dominated the first half. In the opening minute, Sané’s attempt was stopped by Andriy Lunin, and the hosts missed numerous further opportunities.

“We didn’t have enough intensity, especially in the first half,” stated Ancelotti.

It took Madrid over twenty minutes to have a spell with the ball.

Then, Kroos saw Vinícius running and gave the Brazilian the perfect through pass to put the visitors’ first meaningful opportunity past Manuel Neuer in the Bayern goal.

As the visitors saw more of the ball, Bayern lost its early zeal. Exasperated, Tuchel flung up his arms and made violently gestures urging his players to advance.

Before the half, Kane came the closest with a free kick that was given after Nacho fouled Jamal Musiala, who was carefully massaging his bandaged left leg. The forward for Germany has just recently recovered from a knee injury.

In the 53rd minute, Sané equalized by breaking through the Madrid defense, cutting past Ferland Mendy, and hitting a hard shot that went just inside the near post.

Four minutes later, Kane made it 2-1 with a penalty kick given for Lucas Vázquez’s tackle on Musiala.

However, it wasn’t the final penalty, as Rodrygo was hauled down by Kim Min-jae, who had been beaten in Vinícius’ opening goal. Vinícius equalized right away from the spot.

Konrad Laimer, a midfield player for Bayern, described the match as “back-and-forth.” “But sure, it’s Real Madrid; you can’t allow anything to happen to them.”