Two former Liverpool stars lined up in a star-studded Champions League quarter-final, and it was Luis Diaz who had the decisive say in the closing stages
22:06, 15 Apr 2026Updated 23:03, 15 Apr 2026
Luis Diaz scores for Bayern Munich against Real Madrid(Image: 2026 Getty Images)
Luis Diaz scored a late decisive goal to send Bayern Munich through to the Champions League semi-finals at the expense of Real Madrid and former teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold.
With the tie level at 4-4, it looked as though the clash at the Allianz Arena was heading to extra-time, but a red card shown to the Liverpool-linked Eduardo Camavinga saw Bayern move into the ascendancy in the closing stages.
Diaz scored to level the scoreline on the night at 3-3, before Michael Olise put the icing on the cake with a stunning injury-time finish to win the game on the night and secure a 6-4 aggregate victory for the German giant.
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Two of the biggest clubs in European soccer played out one of the games of the season in Munich, with Madrid taking the lead three times on the night, only to end up losing.
Alexander-Arnold almost claimed a stunning assist in the second half while the aggregate score was still level at 4-4.
He picked out Kylian Mbappe with a drilled cross, but the Frenchman was thwarted by Manuel Neuer.
Things might have played out very differently had Mbappe managed to score, but, as it was, Diaz had the decisive say with his stunning strike.
The turning point of the game was undoubtedly Camavinga’s red card, which came about as a result of two bookable offences.
The first yellow card was a stonewall booking, as he fouled Jamal Musiala to stop a Bayern breakaway, but the second prompted a furious reaction from Real Madrid’s players, after the referee deemed that Camavinga was wasting time by keeping hold of the ball after Bayern had been awarded a free-kick.
Eduardo Camavinga reacts after being shown a second yellow card against Bayern Munich(Image: 2026 DeFodi Images)
Following the final whistle, Madrid player Arda Guler was shown a red card after he vented his fury in the direction of the officials following Madrid’s elimination.
In a post-game interview, Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa said that he did not agree with the decision to dismiss Camavinga.
“Obviously, you can’t send off a player for something like that,” Arbeloa said. “The referee didn’t even know he had a card and he ruined a very exciting, very evenly matched tie, a real battle, and that’s how the game ended.”
He added: “It was a great game from my players. I feel for them, for the effort they made, for the Madrid fans who came and those who watched at home. It hurts because Madrid won’t win their sixteenth title this year, but we’re going back to Madrid with our badge because they gave it their all.”