At the conclusion of Tuesday night’s intense 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich, Real Madrid’s press officer swiftly located Vinicius Junior on the field and handed him a training top.
With the Brazilian partially unclothed after swapping shirts with Bayern substitute Bryan Zaragoza, it seemed as though the visitors were concerned about him catching a cold. This precaution was due to Madrid’s imperative to safeguard their star player, who had just rescued them with two crucial goals in this first leg of the Champions League semi-final.
Vinicius achieved this feat while playing as a forward, on a night when the 14-time European Cup/Champions League champions were up against Harry Kane, the striker their coach Carlo Ancelotti had unsuccessfully pursued the previous summer.
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Adapting and Thriving: Ancelotti’s Tactical Mastery and Vinicius Jr’s Evolution
Madrid’s pursuit of Kane did not progress beyond exploration, and the England captain ultimately joined Bayern from Tottenham Hotspur. Instead, Ancelotti’s squad secured the services of Joselu, then 33 years old, on loan, a player who had recently experienced relegation with Espanyol. In a season plagued by injuries that have depleted both his defensive and offensive ranks, the Italian coach has honed his skills in navigating adversity.
In the initial segment, he innovated a new role for Jude Bellingham, another summer acquisition, who netted 17 goals in 21 matches before the Christmas hiatus. In the latter part, he has been instrumental in elevating Vinicius Jr to new heights, gradually refining his positioning and even molding him into a leader of Madrid’s attacking unit.
Vinicius Jr’s opening goal last night showcased the instincts of a seasoned striker: a shrewd run to exploit space behind the defense, followed by a composed finish past the advancing Manuel Neuer. The Brazilian celebrated by dashing to the corner flag, planting a kiss on the Madrid crest adorning his jersey, performing a jubilant dance, and extending his arms in a manner reminiscent of Bellingham’s post-goal rituals, before returning to the pitch.
Upon returning, he paid homage to Toni Kroos, drawing near to whom more than half of their teammates had already congregated. Playing on his former turf, Kroos orchestrated a moment of brilliance with his through ball for the goal, though he downplayed his contribution afterward.
“A lot of credit to Vini, he offered me the pass with his movement. As I know him, he always goes into space. The pass wasn’t that special,” Kroos said.
“We train a lot together and we know each other very well,” said Vinicius Jr, who became only the fourth man in Champions League history to score in three straight semi-final legs.
However, Madrid’s start to the game was anything but promising; it was quite poor. Ancelotti’s frustration was palpable, bordering on fury.
In the 10th minute, he turned to his son and assistant coach Davide, gesturing with four fingers to express his discontent with the frequency of possession turnovers by their players. Substitutes Eder Militao and Dani Ceballos rose from the bench, adding their voices to the direction and encouragement directed towards the players on the field.
The mood shifted abruptly about 15 minutes later when Kroos and Vinicius Jr orchestrated the opening goal with a devastatingly simple move. Kroos received the ball in midfield and promptly identified the next course of action, signaling to his teammate. Vinicius Jr comprehended Kroos’ instructions and executed them flawlessly. It was a sudden turnaround. Bayern found themselves caught off guard, although their head coach Thomas Tuchel had seemingly foreseen the possibility.
“If you look at their goals or their chances and rewind 10 seconds, you don’t see them coming,” Tuchel said before the game.
Vinicius Jr: Leading Real Madrid’s Resilience In Champions League
In the second half, Bayern mounted a strong comeback, with Leroy Sane’s powerful strike causing chaos. On the sidelines, Ancelotti reprimanded Vinicius Jr and Aurelien Tchouameni. Just four minutes later, as Kane prepared to take the penalty that propelled the home side to a 2-1 lead, with international teammate Bellingham attempting to disrupt him, Vinicius Jr had another brief discussion with the Ancelottis.
As he has demonstrated numerous times in the past, the Brazilian spearheaded the defiance on the grand stage.
Madrid refused to surrender, as they consistently do. Their fans, numbering 4,000 in the away section at the Allianz Arena, rallied behind them, chanting “Hasta el final, vamos Real!” (“Until the end, let’s go Real!”), treating the match as if it were a final.
In the 83rd minute, when Vinicius Jr’s skillful play set up Rodrygo in the box, there was no question about who would take the penalty after Rodrygo was fouled. Vinicius Jr had converted from the spot against Barcelona in El Clasico just nine days earlier, and he assumed the responsibility once more. Lucas Vazquez retrieved the ball and shielded his teammate from a couple of Bayern players attempting to disrupt him.
Vinicius Jr placed the ball meticulously, wiping the sweat from his face with his shirt amidst the thunderous roar of the crowd.
Despite the pressure, Madrid’s Brazilian star navigated through with ease, repeatedly finding the back of the net and celebrating each goal with a trip to the corner. Despite objects being hurled from the stands, he punctuated the moment by gesturing to the No 7 on his back, the same number worn for so long by his idol Cristiano Ronaldo during his tenure at Madrid.
By converting that penalty past Neuer, he notched up 32 goal contributions (21 goals and 11 assists) for Madrid this season, edging ahead of Bellingham by one.
According to data from Opta, since the beginning of the 2021-22 season, he has been directly involved in more Champions League goals than any other player (31 in total; 16 goals and 15 assists).
This is Vinicius Jr, a complete player whose evolution has been so profound that he could easily fulfill the role of the striker Ancelotti had sought last summer.
“I’m very happy to be able to score two goals,” he said from the touchline after the game, having been named player of the match. “Now it’s time for a magical night at home.”
It encapsulated the achievement of Ancelotti, his coaching team, and Vinicius Jr — from conceiving a solution to addressing a void, to nurturing it meticulously until a left-winger could emerge as the standout player in a Champions League semi-final away fixture while operating as a forward.
“Now he has learned to move well without the ball, moving at the back of the rivals,” Ancelotti said. “And then he’s very cold in front of the goal.”
