Real Madrid suffered a major setback in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals on Monday at the Santiago Bernabéu after losing 2-1 to Bayern Munich at home, in a match marked by Luis Díaz’s goal, the first of the game.
Still in the running, largely thanks to Kylian Mbappé’s goal in the 74th minute, coach Álvaro Arbeloa didn’t hesitate to issue a strong warning to the fans of the White franchise: “Anyone who doesn’t believe can stay here.”
Arbeloa hasn’t lost faith
Before the Colombian star scored in the 41st minute, Vincent Kompany’s side had two chances to open the scoring, as did the Merengues. However, Díaz struck first. And five minutes later, Harry Kane‘s goal in the 46th minute sealed the victory.
However, these goals not only allowed their rivals to secure the win but also exposed defensive problems within the Merengue squad.
Bayern managed the pace of the game intelligently, knowing when to step up the tempo and when to slow it down. They knew how to exploit spaces, capitalized on their opponent’s mistakes, and showed greater decisiveness in the crucial moments. On the other hand, Real Madrid had moments of control but lacked the organization and clarity needed to equalize.
Despite the defeat, coach Álvaro Arbeloa remained steadfast and delivered a forceful message that reflects the club’s competitive spirit:
“We’ve shown that we can hurt them and that we can score goals against them. We had plenty of chances to score another goal, and we’re going to learn a lot from what happened, from how they played. We came into this tie with practically no time to prepare on the field, which isn’t easy for a team like ours,” said the Real Madrid coach at a press conference.
“…With that confidence in our players, we’re going to Germany. It’s true that anyone who doesn’t believe can stay here in Madrid, but we’re going to give it our all to win in Munich,” Arbeloa said.
Then, more specifically, Álvaro referred to Díaz’s goal, which he attributed to mistakes in the build-up, and Kane’s: “We lost the ball and we had practically no one to cover that loss… When you lose the ball on the break like we did, well, they score goals on you.”
With the series still alive, Real Madrid will look to stage a comeback in the second leg, where they’ll play as the visiting team and will need a solid performance to stay in the race for the semifinals.
The match will be played next Wednesday, April 15, at the Allianz Arena at 3:00 PM ET.
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