Bayern Munich 1-2 Real Madrid: 3 key battles that decided the game

#3 Joshua Kimmich vs Marcelo

Marcelo's attacking instincts turned savior for Madrid with a goal from nothing

Who knew that in a UEFA Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, the two wing-backs would be the ones to open the scoring?

Kimmich was the one who scored the first goal of the match, after Rodriguez released him from midfield with a perfectly weighted ball. As everyone in the ground, including Navas, was expecting him to cross the ball to Lewandowski in the middle, Kimmich took them by surprise and went for the shot and the goal himself.

Once again, the break was possible due to Madrid pushing bodies forward - especially Marcelo, who was one of the furthest men forward. His defensive positioning has been called into question more than a few times this season, and this was yet another example.

What hasn't come under scrutiny though has been his attacking acumen - which was in full flow once again. While Marcelo stuck to defending during the last year's fixture between these two, he almost played as a second striker behind Ronaldo this time around.

Marcelo's goal came from almost nothing, as has become tradition. He latched on to a ball from Vazquez and perfectly hit the ball to the bottom right corner, leaving Ulreich with absolutely no chance of getting a fingertip onto it.

Marcelo vs Kimmich - stats

The second leg will once again involve these two heavily, and, hopefully, in a more defensive encounter. Bayern's injury woes might result in them switching to a new system, but Marcelo and Real Madrid will be confident no matter what.