At a glance
- Real Madrid went into Wednesday’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg trailing 2-1.
- After 35 seconds, though, Arda Guler leveled for Los Blancos.
- Manuel Neuer committed one of his worst career mistakes by passing the ball into the young Turk’s path.
Real Madrid midfielder Arda Guler levelled the score in his team’s Champions League quarterfinal second leg after just 35 seconds.
Madrid kicked off trailing 2-1 in the Allianz Arena after losing by that score in the Bernabeu a week ago.
With half a minute down on the clock, though, Manuel Neuer dropped one of the worst clangers of his storied career.
Coming out of his box to perform his usual duties as a “sweeper-keeper”, the MVP of the first leg played a ball horribly into Guler’s path.
Wasting no time, the Turkey international hit the ball straight back into Bayern’s net to put Madrid 1-0 ahead and level on aggregate.
Real Madrid joy was short lived
Guler chose the perfect moment to score his first Champions League goal after a season with improved protagonism in the Spanish capital.
But Bayern immediately put the ball back in Madrid’s court by equalising on the evening and once more taking the lead.
On six minutes, Alexsandar Pavlovic headed home a corner from midfield partner Joshua Kimmich to make it 3-2.
With the Allianz Arena alight and already treated to two goals in little time, a repeat of the 2023/2024 semifinal is already shaping into a modern day classic.
