Bayern had “the game completely under control” after their second goal, Kroos said. “I expected them to keep dominating and maybe score again. I thought they would control the ball and add a third, fourth or fifth goal – but the opposite happened.”
Instead, Real grew increasingly dangerous as the second half wore on. Manuel Neuer made several outstanding saves to keep Bayern ahead, but in the 74th minute even the 40-year-old was beaten as Kylian Mbappé netted to make it 1-2 from the Spanish perspective.
Looking ahead to the second leg, Kroos is counting on the individual quality of Mbappé and Vinicius Junior. “You saw here: Bayern don’t clear every danger; they will inevitably make the occasional mistake,” the former Germany international emphasised, before adding: “Take Vini and Mbappé up against a Stanisic or a Laimer – there’s always something to be had in a one-on-one; we don’t need to discuss that.”
Still, he warns that Real must “find one or two extra solutions on the ball besides the counter-attack” at the Allianz Arena. “At some point you have to open up, join the game and create your own answers. That’s often been a problem; they’ve not been good enough at that.”