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Cristiano Ronaldo has said his dream is to with the Champions League with Real Madrid in Portugal next month.

The 29-year-old helped his side to a sensational 4-0 win against Bayern Munich grabbing two goals for himself at the Allianz Arena. He now has 16 goals to his name in the competition this season, a record for the number of goals scored in a single campaign in the Champions League.

Speaking to journalists afterwards, the Ballon d’Or winner said he doesn’t mind who Los Blancos play in the final but the most important thing for him now is to win the club’s Decima trophy in his homeland.

“A final is always complicated. I don’t care if it’s Mourinho or another coach. It will be in my country and I want to win the Champions League,” he said.

Speaking about his own record, Ronaldo said he enjoys raising the bar higher, but admitted none of it would be possible without his teammates.

“I was looking for it and I knew I needed one goal but I was not going to be mad if it didn’t happen. It was a great ball from Bale. The whole team helped me. I’m really happy to break the Champions League record but what I want is to win it and we’re very excited.”

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Angel di Maria

The Real Madrid players always had the belief they could reach the final of the Champions League, says Angel di Maria.

The Argentine winger was part of the side that thrashed holders Bayern Munich 4-0 in the Allianz Arena last night, making history for the club as they recorded their first ever win at the home of the Bundesliga giants in 10 attempts.

Prior to the game, many pundits in and around the game had predicted Pep Guardiola’s team would overturn the 1-0 deficit and qualify for their second consecutive final.

But di Maria told journalists afterwards that the Los Blancos players never doubted themselves and felt confident they could do the job required.

He stated: “We are very happy having got to the final. It was what we wanted and what we have fought for. The goals that we might have scored in the Bernabéu we scored here. Also, we kept a clean sheet and we go away very happy. We had respect for them as they were the reigning champions, but we weren’t scared. We knew we have quality and we could win.”

And he continued: “The way this side has worked and have fought all year to get here is incredible. We are very happy because we continue on our journey and alsl for those who accompany us. We always get support and this win is for our family.”

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Iker Casillas

Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas has said he is delighted for the Madridista fanbase having reached the final of the Champions League.

The keeper kept two clean sheets in the semi-final tie against last year’s winners Bayern Munich as Los Blancos ran out 5-0 winners overall. With many pundits doubting whether they could hold on to their 1-0 first leg lead at the Allianz Arena, Carlo Ancelotti’s men put in a sensational display and blew their opponents away with two goals each for Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Afterwards, Casillas said the team would look forward to the final in Lisbon on May 24, but would switch their attention back to La Liga in the faint hope they can overhaul Atletico de Madrid in the title race.

“When I got my first win I never thought I’d get to this stage and I’m pleased and happy for the fans. It would be wrong for us to think that we are now the favourites. We have to enjoy today, and then think about the league, put pressure on Atlético and try to win the title. The side were great,” Casillas said.

When asked about how it feels to be back in the final, Casillas stated he was delighted having missed out at the final hurdle for three years in a row.

He commented: “We have showed an enormous capacity of concentration and it is just when we have managed to get through to the final. Bayern are the reigning champions of Europe. We have come after three years falling at the final hurdle but we got there at the fourth attempt.”

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What a night for Real Madrid! Two goals from Sergio Ramos and a brace from Cristiano Ronaldo gave Los Blancos and incredible 4-0 win in the Allianz Arena, and a 5-0 win overall to qualify for the Champions League final next month.

It was a historic match for the nine-time European Cup winners. Going into the game, in their previous 10 visits to Munich, they had lost nine and drawn one. They have never scored more than one goal in any of their previous trips to Bavaria.

Prior to the match, there had been talk of Munich burning as hot as hell for the visit of Carlo Ancelotti’s team. In the end, it was a damp squib, as two Ramos goals in the first 25 minutes ended the semi-final as a contest.

And Marca and AS today both revel in the victory. They both hail Carlo Ancelotti for a tactical masterclass and setting up his team to play devastating counter attacking football. The Italian’s record of never losing to Bayern Munich remains intact.

The papers are also full of praise for Cristiano Ronaldo, who set a new record for the most number of goals scored in the Champions League in one season. They way he celebrate his first goal showed that personal records are important to him. He now has 16 in the competition.

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Real Madrid earned their first victory ever in Munich to break a streak of 12 years failing to qualify for the Champions League final. Los Blancos played a brilliant game at the Allianz Arena, with a superb performance from Sergio Ramos, who scored two goals in the first 20 minutes.

With Bayern Munich desperately trying to shorten Los Merengues’ lead, Cristiano Ronaldo sealed the victory in a counter-attack. The Portuguese became the top scorer in one Champions League season as he closed the score with a terrific free-kick.

Carlo Ancelotti men showed great personality since the first minute. Their well-positioned defence and their tightly closed lines made the hosts suffer. Bayern were unable to threaten Iker Casillas , and they started to get nervous.

Los Blancos, on the other hand, played calmly when in control of possession, waiting for the best chance to destroy Bayern hopes with a goal.

That moment arrived as Sergio Ramos silenced the local fans with two goals in four minutes. After the 15 minute mark, Luka Modric played a corner into the area and the Andalucian attacked it brilliantly, planting a fine header into the back of the net. Some Madridistas were still celebrating when Pepe flicked Angel di Maria’s free kick and Ramos headed it home again.

Pep Guardiola men needed four goals at that point to qualify for the final, and they started attacking anxiously, leaving only Dante and Jerome Boateng at the back. Real Madrid took advantage of that situation as Ronaldo made it three in a fantastic counter-attack lead by Gareth Bale, who assisted the Portuguese to score a record 15 goal in this Champions League season.

That solid lead allowed Los Merengues to relax on the second half. Bayern kept on attacking, but they struggled to create good chances. Arjen Robben came close to shortening Real’s lead with a fine effort from outside the box, but his shot sailed wide of the post.

Iker Casillas saved two efforts from Frank Ribery and Toni Kroos, and Robben also blazed another shot a few centimetres over Casillas’ bar.

Yet Los Merengues had the chances to score. Manuel Neuer denied a great effort from Fabio Coentrao from just three metres, but he was unable to save a superb free-kick shot from Ronaldo. The Portuguese slotted the ball under the jumping wall to make it a record 37 goals in this year’s Champions League for Real Madrid.

It was an unforgettable night for the Madridistas. However, there’s one who will have bitter memories. Xabi Alonso was shown a yellow card in the first half and he will miss the final. Real awaits either Chelsea or Atletico Madrid.

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Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid match preview

Real Madrid will look to reach their first Champions League final since 2002 as they visit Munich to defend the 1-0 victory earned at the Santiago Bernabeu. After three consecutive years losing in the semi-finals, Carlo Ancelotti’s men aim to break that bad streak and get a ticket for Lisbon.

Los Blancos will enjoy Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema playing together for the first time in weeks, since the Portuguese and the Welshman have suffered injury problems. With the BBC perfectly fit, Ancelotti looks to score at least one goal, thus forcing Bayern Munich to net three to win the tie.

Fabio Coentrao will very likely start at left-back, despite Marcelo played his first full game on Saturday for the first time since he recovered from his injury. The Portuguese is in a spectacular state of shape and Ancelotti will try to take advantage of it for stopping Arjen Robben.

Pepe will also return to the centre of the defence after resting against Osasuna out of precaution. Meanwhile, Isco is expected to sit on the bench, as Di Maria would move to the left side of midfield, leaving the right side for Bale.

Pep Guardiola could also make changes from the side that started at the Santiago Bernabeu. Mario Gotze is expected to join the forward line, while Javi Martinez and Thomas Muller also have chances of being included among Bayern’s eleven.

Philipp Lahm, who played as a midfielder in Madrid, could switch back to his usual right-back role, sending Rafinha to the bench.

The history between the two clubs would point to a Bayern victory, as they have won nine of their ten meetings in Germany. Yet, Los Blancos earned a draw in 2004’s quarter-finals, knocking the Germans out of the competition.

Possible line-ups:

Bayern Munich: Neuer; Lahm, Dante, Boateng, Alaba; Schweinsteiger, Martinez; Robben, Gotze, Ribery; Mandzukic.

Real Madrid: Casillas; Carvajal, Ramos, Pepe, Coentrao; Modric, Alonso, Di Maria; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo.

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Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has said his side is taking nothing for granted and no one thinks they have reached the final of the Champions League yet.

Los Blancos take on Bayern Munich this evening holding a 1-0 first leg lead, but will be expecting the current holders to attack from the off as they attempt to overturn the tie. Pep Guardiola this week suggested the Madrid press believe Los Blancos have already reached the final, but Ancelotti told journalists at his press conference the team was focused.

“I don’t think anyone is so superficial as to think that we have already won. Tomorrow’s game is very tough. We’re playing a great team and we have a small advantage from the first leg, but we have to enjoy it. We’re not stupid enough to think we’ve already won,” he said.

He also laughed off Karl Heinz Rummenigge’s comments that Munich would be hell for the Madrid players, with even the trees burning. “We’re focusing on winning the match and what’s happening elsewhere is unimportant. Rummenigge said that trees will burn and it’s raining. Everything can change very quickly,” Ancelotti quipped.

The Italian also said he wouldn’t be changing his tactics compared to how Madrid played in the first leg, and argued the mental side of the game is more important at this stage.

“I don’t think I’ll change much tactically compared to the first-leg game. Tactics are not the most important aspect, the mental side is and the desire we have to reach the final. In the first leg we were very cagey at first and starting like that would be very dangerous. The most important thing is that we have to work together in this type of game. The strikers defend and the defenders attack,” he commented.

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Bayern Munich are feeling confident about their chances of overturning their 1-0 deficit to Real Madrid this evening after Los Blancos got one over them at the Santiago Bernabeu last week. And that’s because in five of the six times they’ve gone into a second leg 1-0 down, they’ve managed to turn it around. The one time they haven’t though, Carlo Ancelotti was present.

Apart from not having lost a single match against the German club, Ancelotti is confident about Real Madrid’s options to make it into the final, since he was present the only time Bayern were unable to turn a 1-0 around in the second leg of an European knock-out round.

It was back in his years as a player, specifically in the 1989/1990 season, when he was playing for AC Milan. That year, the Italians met Bayern in the semi-finals of the European Cup, before it had turned into the Champions League.

The first leg took place in Italy, at San Siro. In a pretty even game, Milan earned a 1-0 advantage. In the away leg, the Bianconeri suffered to earn their ticket to the final that would be played in Munich’s Olympic Stadium. Bayern scored and forced the extra-time, but the final 2-1 favoured Milan due to the higher value of goals scored away.

Ancelotti’s team would go on to win the final by beating Benfica 1-0, becoming the last club that has been unable to lift the title in two consecutive seasons. Thus, Ancelotti already knows how to successfully defend a 1-0 in Munich and end up winning the trophy.

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Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben spoke with the media at a press conference Monday ahead of Bayern’s UEFA Champions League semifinal clash with former club Real Madrid.

The speedy Dutchmen played at the Bernabéu from 2007 to 2009, registering 50 appearances and 11 goals.

“I played for Real and I know all about their obsession with ‘La Decima’,” Robben said. “I know how much it means to them, but they’re still waiting. They’re still waiting to win it, but I don’t think they’ll be hungrier than us. We won it last year, but we want to make history by winning it two years in a row.”

It has been nearly 12 years since Madrid captured European football’s greatest prize for the ninth time. They are still in search of win number 10.

In order for Real to advance to the final in Lisbon, they still have to go through Robben’s Munich at the Allianz Arena after winning the first leg 1-0 on a goal from Karim Benzema.

“We can promise Real aren’t going to have it easy here,” the savvy winger said. “They are in high spirits and brimming with confidence. They are having a great season but they know they aren’t going to have it easy here. We can promise Real that we aren’t going to roll over for them. I don’t buy the idea that they think the job is done.”

“I don’t think we’ll find it easier to attack if [Gareth] Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo play. I was surprised by how defensive Real were in the first leg, but there are no prizes for knowing that their biggest strength is on the counter attack.”

Both Bale and Ronaldo are expected to play for Tuesday’s big showdown.

 

 

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Champions League trophy

Real Madrid legend Manuel Sanchis has said Los Blancos will attack Bayern Munich tonight as it is in their DNA to play attractive football.

Los Blancos hold a 1-0 lead from the first leg of the Champions League tie, and the attraction could be to try and defend that in the Allianz Arena. But speaking in an interview with Bundesliga.com, the 48-year-old former central defender, who made 710 appearances for the club, said Real don’t have it in them to defend for 90 minutes.

“Of course Real could considering lining up to just defend their lead, but that’s not in their DNA. Real cannot afford just to pack men behind the ball in Munich. Real have got to attack. Ancelotti knew in the first leg that he could only play the way he did against Bayern and that’s exactly what his players did. Real have fast players on the break and it’s only natural he tried to use that to his advantage,” Sanchis said.

Sanchis played for Madrid for 18 years, and came across Bayern Munich in his time as a player. Speaking about his memories of playing them, he said the Bundesliga side was always a tough prospect, and a clash between Munich and Madrid is up there with the best football matches in the world.

He commented: “They were tough matches, although they played a more ‘German’ style back then, more physical and with seemingly endless stamina. They beat us many a time, but we did beat them too. When you talk of a classic in European football then right at the top you’ll find Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munchen.”

Finally, when asked about the pressure the players are under to win the Decima, Sanchis said it is immense, but should they qualify tonight, they will be within touching distance of it.

“It’s 12 years since the last Champions League title and every new player who arrives soon feels the pressure that puts on them. Real have got to win everything every year – that is the expectation, so of course that brings with it a lot of pressure. If they can beat Bayern, then they will have taken another step closer to the Decima.”

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