Real Madrid 0 - Bayern Munich 1

Real Madrid: Casillas; Michel Salgado (Munitis 78'), Hierro, Karanka, Roberto Carlos; Figo, Iván Helguera, Makelele, McManaman; Guti (Savio 55'), Raúl. 4-4-2.
Bayern Munich: Kahn; Sagnol, Kuffour, Andersson, Linke, Lizarazu; Salihamidzic, Effenberg, Jeremies, Scholl (Paulo Sergio 72'); Elber (Jancker 75'). 5-4-1.

Goals:
0-1. 56. Elber. Speculative shot from outside area which caught Casillas off guard.

Real Madrid were surprised at home by a resilient and determined Bayern Munich and ended the day with one foot out of the competition. In a repeat of last year's semi-final, Real Madrid were favourites to win at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium to keep up their 100% Champions League record this year. However Ottmar Hitzfeld picked a team to do a job, keep their goal intact and look to score on the breakaway, and he lined up an ultra-defensive side, with Brazilian striker Elber alone up front. Steve McManaman came through a late fitness test which allowed Vicente Del Bosque to line up his strongest current side, with makeshift striker Guti playing up front alongside Raúl in place of the too-often injured Morientes.

However Madrid soon found it that they would have to work hard to break through the defensive net that Bayern set up (one local sports paper suggested they had parked the team coach in front of the goal), and with Kahn on world class form there seemed no way through. The visitors were happy to hand over the midfield to their opponents, with Madrid taking 60% of the possession, but they always had the extra man available as the home side approached the penalty area. And when they did get a chance they were missing their one weakness this season, a first class striker to get on the end of the through balls, with nobody there to turn in dangerous crosses from the right by Salgado and then Helguera in the first half. Del Bosque's ploy to move Figo to the left from time to time to take advantage of the inexperienced Sagnol did not bear much fruit, and even Roberto Carlos was off target with his dead ball efforts, driving three free kicks straight at the defensive wall and putting a spectacular overhead kick over the bar after the break.

Munich started to grow in confidence, and ten minutes into the second half they took the lead, although it was a lucky goal when it came, combined with a lapse of attention from young Iker Casillas. Elber's speculative shot from outside of the area should have been no trouble for Spain's first choice keeper, but setting off late he was beaten by the erratically bouncing ball which flew past him into the corner of the net. Either side of the goal Kahn pulled off two magnificent saves from McManaman, and it has to be said that the difference on the night was in the two number one positions. Kahn even had the cheek to catch a difficult shot from Raúl which others might not have reached, and Casillas had more trouble than expected tipping a Scholl shot around for a corner. Del Bosque replaced Guti with Savio just before Elber's goal, and he brought on Munitis for Salgado with twelve minutes left to try and save the day.

But with Raúl marked out of the game and nobody to make the difference Munich's brick wall held, and after Scottish referee Hugh Dallas turned down an appeal for a penalty when the ball hit Effenberg on the hand from a corner, their efforts were over. Bayern had achieved the next step towards a cup which seems to have their name on it this year, and having knocked out Manchester United in the previous round, the team that beat them in the last seconds of the final two years ago, they are now in line to get their revenge on their executioners from last year's competition. The return leg in Munich in eight days time is promising to be a classic (Bayern will be missing the suspended Effenberg for that match), and Madrid are doing everything possible for Morientes to be fit for that game. Fresh in their memory is their quarter final last year, when they went to Old Trafford with a 0-0 scoreline from the first leg and beat Manchester United 2-3 to go on and win the trophy. But they are looking a little jaded right now, and Bayern Munich really want to win this year having gone so close for two years in a row. The space in their trophy cabinet for their ninth European cup may be left empty for a bit longer than they expected.