José Luis Mato Sanmartín, better known as Joselu, on loan from Spanish Segunda side Español turned out to be the hero for La Liga Giants, Real Madrid, against Bayern Munich.
At the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night, Los Blancos left it late to break Bavarian hearts in the Spanish capital.
The storyline of this fixture dramatically turned around when Joselu popped up with two quick-fire goals to nullify Bayern’s lead late in the epic encounter.
Tipped to join today’s winners, Liberian-born Canadian, Alphonse Davies, shocked the home fans in the 68th minute after he cut in from the left to smash the ball with his weaker right foot to give his team the lead.
It really looked bad for the record Champions League winners, as a deflected goal was disallowed for a foul on Joshua Kimmich by Nacho.
The introduction of Joselu for Valverde and Diaz for Rodrygo proved pivotal, as it brought an added sense of life to the home supporters.
What happened two minutes before the end of regular time would be something the great Manuel Neuer would wish to forget.
Diaz intercepted the Bayern goalkeeper’s long throw, and Madrid quickly switched it from right to Vinicius on the left, who cuts inside before shooting on goal, before Joselu hits a rebound for the equalizer.
And just when fans and viewers around the world were bracing themselves for a long time, thinking the game would go to extra time, the sharp Spaniard was on hand to tap home Antonio Rudiger’s pass.
Real Madrid have now reached their 18th final in the UEFA Champions League, seven more than any other team, while Carlo Ancelotti reaches his sixth final as a manager, two more than any other manager.
The final will take place on June 1, 2024, at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
Source: Ghana/MaxTV/MaxFM/max.com.gh/Michael Mensah Martey
