"He made it easy for me to score that goal!" - Vinicius Jr lauds Real Madrid teammate for his role that lead to opening goal against Bayern

Vinicius Jr has credited Toni Kroos for his opening goal in the first leg of Real Madrid's UEFA Champions League (UCL) semi-final against Bayern Munich on Tuesday, April 30.

The two European heavyweights shared the loot as the first leg ended in a 2-2 draw. Vinicius Jr. opened the scoring for the Los Blancos thanks to a scrumptious pass from midfield maestro Toni Kroos. The Brazilian winger pulled centre-back Kim Min-jae out of position with his movement before running in behind and slotting one home, giving the Spaniards the advantage in the 24th minute.

Talking about his goal against the Bavarians, the 23-year-old forward said (via Movistar):

"It was a gift from Toni Kroos, he made it easy for me to score that goal! It’s now time for a magic night at the Bernabéu."

However, the 14-time UCL winners witnessed a resurgence from the German side in the second half. Leroy Sane, who had been pretty lousy with his passes in the first half, scored the opening goal for Thomas Tuchel's men in the 53rd minute.

Sane cut in from the right, giving Ferland Mendy no chance and beat Andriy Lunin with a powerful strike in the bottom of the goal. Just a few minutes later, Lucas Vazquez conceded a penalty, which was swiftly put away by former Tottenham Hotspur talisman Harry Kane.

Madrid were handed a chance to equalise the game in the 81st minute after Kim Min-jae brought down Rodrygo in the box. Vinicius Jr put the penalty away, allowing Carlo Ancelotti's men to draw level.

Real Madrid will welcome Bayern Munich to the Santiago Bernabéu for the second leg of the semi-final on May 8.

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Real Madrid defeated defending champions Manchester City in the quarter-finals

Los Blancos were completely outplayed by Pep Guardiola's men in the semi-final of the Champions League last year. After ending the first leg 1-1, City ran through Madrid's defense in the second leg, scoring four goals.

The 14-time champions redeemed themselves this year. They defeated City 4-3 on penalties in the quarter-finals after playing out a 4-4 draw on aggregate.

Luka Modric had missed his penalty for Real Madrid, however, Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic missed theirs for City. Guardiola's men were eliminated and their hopes of bagging a second consecutive treble ended as well.

Both European heavyweights are also in pole position to win their respective domestic leagues. For Real Madrid, however, it's more or less a given now, while City face tough competition from Arsenal.

Manchester City will face Manchester United in the final of the FA Cup on May 25 at the Wembley Stadium.