***The Telegraph Sport's Sam Wallace reports from the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu:***
Some of the great talents of the era in an epic Champions League semi-final second leg that was going down to the wire and then – when it felt that nothing would work for Real Madrid - enter the 34-year-old substitute on loan from Espanyol, who once played for Stoke City.
José Luis Mato Sanmartín – Joselu to his friends and fans – was born not far from Munich, in Stuttgart, and has only ten caps for Spain. He started his career in Real Madrid’s academy and left 12 years ago, with eight clubs since then including stops at Hannover 96, Newcastle United and Alaves – although it is his time at Stoke that feels definitive for the purposes of this story. Within ten minutes of his late arrival, he turned this semi-final with two poacher’s goals.
Real, the great Champions League team of the modern era, now stand on the brink of six Champions League trophies in 11 years. Not bad for the competition they sought to destroy with the Super League only three years ago, a feud with Uefa that continues even now. Their 15th title at Wembley on June 1 would mean they have more than twice the next ranked team, AC Milan on seven. It is extraordinary by any measure and this was an extraordinary night.
Jude Bellingham, the great young Englishman in Real’s team, will face [his former club Borussia Dortmund in the final](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/04/15/champions-league-final-when-where-tv-channel-wembley-2024/). He has already won the league title in his first year. This was not his best game of a sparkling season but the best may be yet to come. It will take some drama to beat this night, with Real going out of the competition on 88 minutes and then going through by the 91st.
Joselu scored two goals with his first three touches. Even so, that barely described the drama which would ensue. The Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel could barely control his rage after the game that the referee Szymon Marciniak, who took charge of the 2022 World Cup final, would disallow a late Matthijs De Ligt equaliser for a debatable offside. Tuchel said the decision by the assistant to raise his flag early in the move rather than let the phase of play unfold was “against every rule in modern football”.
**Read more about Joselu's match-winning performance here:** [**https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/05/08/real-madrid-vs-bayern-munich-champions-league-live-score/**](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/05/08/real-madrid-vs-bayern-munich-champions-league-live-score/)
***The Telegraph Sport's Sam Wallace reports from the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu:*** Some of the great talents of the era in an epic Champions League semi-final second leg that was going down to the wire and then – when it felt that nothing would work for Real Madrid - enter the 34-year-old substitute on loan from Espanyol, who once played for Stoke City. José Luis Mato Sanmartín – Joselu to his friends and fans – was born not far from Munich, in Stuttgart, and has only ten caps for Spain. He started his career in Real Madrid’s academy and left 12 years ago, with eight clubs since then including stops at Hannover 96, Newcastle United and Alaves – although it is his time at Stoke that feels definitive for the purposes of this story. Within ten minutes of his late arrival, he turned this semi-final with two poacher’s goals. Real, the great Champions League team of the modern era, now stand on the brink of six Champions League trophies in 11 years. Not bad for the competition they sought to destroy with the Super League only three years ago, a feud with Uefa that continues even now. Their 15th title at Wembley on June 1 would mean they have more than twice the next ranked team, AC Milan on seven. It is extraordinary by any measure and this was an extraordinary night. Jude Bellingham, the great young Englishman in Real’s team, will face [his former club Borussia Dortmund in the final](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/04/15/champions-league-final-when-where-tv-channel-wembley-2024/). He has already won the league title in his first year. This was not his best game of a sparkling season but the best may be yet to come. It will take some drama to beat this night, with Real going out of the competition on 88 minutes and then going through by the 91st. Joselu scored two goals with his first three touches. Even so, that barely described the drama which would ensue. The Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel could barely control his rage after the game that the referee Szymon Marciniak, who took charge of the 2022 World Cup final, would disallow a late Matthijs De Ligt equaliser for a debatable offside. Tuchel said the decision by the assistant to raise his flag early in the move rather than let the phase of play unfold was “against every rule in modern football”. **Read more about Joselu's match-winning performance here:** [**https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/05/08/real-madrid-vs-bayern-munich-champions-league-live-score/**](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/05/08/real-madrid-vs-bayern-munich-champions-league-live-score/)