Vinicius on the spot

Munich, May 1

Vinicius Junior scored twice for Real Madrid to draw 2-2 at Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal.

Bayern dominated but Madrid survived, and the contest is still wide open ahead of the return leg in Madrid on May 8.

With the focus on England stars Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, as well as Toni Kroos’ return to his former team, Vinicius emerged as the decisive figure on a night when his bright green boots were often a blur.

The Brazil forward opened the scoring against the run of play in the 24th minute and equalised with a coolly taken penalty in the 83rd after Leroy Sane and Kane had scored for Bayern.

“I think it’s a good result,” said Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, who led Bayern to the Bundesliga title in 2017. “It gives us faith and confidence for the second leg. It’s completely open.”

Kane’s goal, another penalty, was the England forward’s 43rd goal in 43 games for Bayern this season.

“It felt like the goals were scored when the other team was better,” Kroos said. “We’re pretty sure that we’ll advance at home.”

Bayern had appealed to fans to wear red to the game and the visitors must have felt they were playing in a red cauldron as they were greeted by deafening whistles from the majority of the 75,000 in the stadium.

“Real Madrid does this to teams, so we should not be too disappointed,” Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel said. “I think we will be able to create chances in the Bernabeu. This is one of the most difficult places to win, yes, but it’s a challenge. That’s the beauty of it.” — AP