There was no sign of Kim Min-jae (30, Bayern Munich) behind Manuel Noirer's crazy series of saves.
Bayern Munich beat Real Madrid 2-1 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals of the 2025-2026 season at Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, Spain, on the 8th (Korea time).
Having secured a valuable away victory, Bayern will advance to the semifinals if they hold a draw in the second leg in Germany on the 16th.
But Kim Min-jae ultimately did not set foot on the pitch that day. He was named on the bench, but Bayern's defensive pairing was handled by Jonathan Tah and Dayot Upamecano, and Kim Min-jae did not get a chance to play.
Both teams battled fiercely from the start. Real advanced attacks led by Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior, but veteran goalkeeper Manuel Noirer stood in front of the goal. Noirer protected the team's victory by stopping Real's decisive chances with consecutive saves.
The deadlock was broken late in the first half. In the 41st minute of the first half, Luis Díaz calmly finished a counterattack to score the opener.
At the start of the second half, Bayern extended the lead with an additional goal from Harry Kane. Early in the second half, he struck a low right-footed shot from the center of the penalty arc into the corner to make it 2-0.
In the 29th minute of the second half, Real pulled one back when Mbappé redirected a cross from the flank. After that, Real launched an all-out offensive, but Noirer's display of saves continued and Bayern's goal did not fall.
The match ended with Bayern's 2-1 victory. Although Bayern earned a valuable win at the Bernabéu, Korean fans' attention remained on Kim Min-jae, who ultimately could not play. On the Champions League quarterfinal stage, it is highly likely Kim Min-jae will again remain on the bench for the second leg.
Noirer, who produced a crazy series of saves, stopped as many as nine shots. There was also one decisive save. Noirer was named the man of the match after turning what should have been a 2.05-goal game into a one-goal performance.
[OSEN]