“It’s only the first half” - Thomas Tuchel makes confident claim on being asked about Serge Gnabry failing to score like he predicted vs Real Madrid

Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel has reiterated his confidence in forward Serge Gnabry scoring against Real Madrid in their UEFA Champions League semi-final tie. The German giants were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Los Blancos in an entertaining tie on Tuesday (April 30).

Real Madrid needed a late equalizer to draw with the German outfit at the Allianz Arena, with forwards Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr proving pivotal. In the build-up to the game, Los Blancos had revealed that they intended to be wary of the threat posed by their opponents.

Bayern Munich have a stacked attack, with the likes of Harry Kane, Leroy Sane, Jamal Musiala and Serge Gnabry among their talented crop. Gnabry, in particular, was the subject of Tuchel's praise ahead of the game, with the manager tipping him to score against Los Blancos.

Gnabry started the game on the bench and was only introduced in the 80th minute as a replacement for Thomas Muller. He hardly got a sniff of goal, firing well wide with the only half-chance he generated for himself.

Thomas Tuchel spoke about the forward in his post-match press conference while fielding questions about his prediction. The former Chelsea boss stood by his words, claiming that the match against Real Madrid was only the first half of the ties.

“It's only the first half. We have a second half at the Bernabéu and he will score," he said (via MadridXtra).

Gnabry has struggled with injuries this season, and his appearance yesterday was his first since playing and scoring against Arsenal in the quarter-finals at the Emirates Stadium three weeks ago. The 28-year-old has played only 18 times across all competitions this season, scoring five goals.

Vinicus Jr joins elite group after goals for Real Madrid in Germany

Vinicius Jr has become the latest player to score in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in three successive seasons. The Brazilian winger plundered a brace for his side as they played out their draw with Bayern Munich.

Prior to Tuesday night, only Cristiano Ronaldo (2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15), Kevin De Bruyne (2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23) and Jari Litmanen (1994-95, 1995-96, 1996-97) had achieved the feat. The Brazilian opened the scoring for Los Blancos following a perfect Toni Kroos assist to join the group.

Vinicius Jr has also now become the Brazilian with the most goal contributions in the knockout rounds of the competition. He is expected to play a starring role for the side when the second leg takes place in Spain next week.