1–0.
Real Madrid, playing away from home, had taken the lead!
After scoring, Theodore Bjorn turned toward the Bayern supporters in the stands and raised a finger to his lips.
A shushing gesture.
That goal was his answer to the boos from the Allianz Arena!
If Bayern fans wanted to turn the stadium against him, then Theodore would silence them with his feet.
"Theodore has done it all himself!" Rob Palmer shouted. "He carries it from midfield, beats Goretzka, slips through Kimmich and Müller, nutmegs Boateng, and then hammers it past Neuer!"
"That is a terrifying goal," Terry Gibson said. "Two minutes into a Champions League semifinal, away at Bayern Munich, and he produces a solo run like that. It's not just skill. It's authority."
"The Allianz Arena booed him," Rob added. "Theodore has answered by silencing the entire stadium."
Far away in China, fans watching the broadcast were already hammering their keyboards.
📱 @TheodoreEra ✔
What the hell was that? He just ran through Bayern like it was a training drill.
| ↳ 📱 @MadridCN_Insider
| Reply: Goretzka, Kimmich, Müller, Boateng, Neuer. All turned into background actors.
📱 @UCLNightTalk ✔
Theodore's celebration is cold. Bayern booed him, he scored, then told them to be quiet. That's superstar behavior.
| ↳ 📱 @WhiteShirtFaithful
| Reply: Two minutes in and Bayern already look shaken. Are we about to see another massacre?
📱 @FootballCNLive ✔
Bayern's defense looked worse than Barça there. How do you let Theodore carry the ball that easily?
Inside the Allianz Arena, more than seventy thousand Bayern fans were stunned.
The expression on almost every face was the same.
Shock, confusion and disbelief.
📱 @BayernZone ✔
That was way too easy. What are we doing? This is a Champions League semifinal.
| ↳ 📱 @MiaSanMiaTalk
| Reply: Neuer didn't even get close. I can't believe what I just watched.
📱 @BayernForever ✔
We booed Theodore and he scored in two minutes. Fantastic start. Absolutely fantastic.
| ↳ 📱 @GermanFootballLive
| Reply: Bayern need to wake up immediately. Madrid are not here to survive, they're here to kill the tie.
On the pitch, Lewandowski's expression carried a trace of helplessness.
He had wanted to use this Champions League clash to prove he was stronger than Theodore.
He had wanted to show the world, and especially the Ballon d'Or judges, that the award should have belonged to him.
But who would have thought Theodore would need only two minutes to break through Bayern's goal?
That opening strike instantly stole some of Lewandowski's fire.
He could not believe Bayern's back line had been pierced so easily.
Equally surprised was Zidane.
Before the match, he had specifically prepared a more defensive shape to deal with Bayern. He had planned to avoid their sharpest edge, slow the match down, and strike later.
But unexpectedly, less than two minutes after kickoff, Theodore had already helped Madrid score.
Even Zidane found it hard to believe.
After the restart, Bayern immediately pushed forward in numbers.
Flick would absolutely not allow his team to be beaten at home without a fight.
In the 7th minute, Bayern attacked down the wing. Goretzka lifted his head and delivered a long switch toward the left flank, where Kingsley Coman successfully brought the ball under control.
The player defending him was Carvajal.
At first, Coman wanted to use his pace to break through. He pushed the ball forward, trying to explode past the Madrid full-back before he could adjust.
But just as Coman made his move, Carvajal got there first and cleared the ball out for a throw-in.
Carvajal's speed was not slow either.
For Coman, relying purely on explosive pace to beat him was not going to be easy.
After that exchange, Coman understood his opponent's level.
So when Bayern took the throw-in, he did not try to dribble again. Instead, he chose the more direct option.
A long ball into the box.
Bang!
The delivery flew quickly toward the penalty area.
Bayern's attack had become simpler.
"Coman sends it in early," Rob announced. "Lewandowski attacks it!"
"Ramos and Varane are both there with him," Terry noted. "They don't let him get a clean jump."
Lewandowski won the first contact, but under the double pressure of Ramos and Varane, he could not generate enough power.
The header dropped comfortably into Courtois' hands.
"Courtois claims it," Rob said. "And Madrid survive Bayern's first real response."
"That's good defending," Terry added. "Lewandowski is always dangerous in the air, but Ramos and Varane make sure the header has no sting."
Courtois did not slow the game down.
The moment he collected the ball, he immediately looked forward.
Then he threw it accurately toward Theodore in the middle.
The Allianz Arena tensed at once.
This time, the Bayern fans did not even boo.
They simply stared at the pitch in nervous silence.
On Bayern's bench, Flick's voice rang out again, sharp and urgent.
"Quick! Stop Theodore from carrying it! Don't let him—"
Before Flick could finish shouting, Theodore had already released the ball.
This time, he did not dribble.
He did not choose the long pass he was famous for either.
Instead, he played a through ball.
A sharp, perfectly weighted through ball!
In an instant, the ball spun rapidly along the grass and sliced through the narrow gap between Bayern's two center-backs, landing precisely in front of Benzema.
The assistant referee's flag stayed down.
No offside.
At the moment Theodore made the pass, Benzema had positioned himself just behind Süle.
But the instant the ball left Theodore's foot, Benzema accelerated and surged ahead of him.
Benzema was not known as a pure speed striker, but against Süle, he had enough pace to win that race.
Just like that, Benzema was through on goal.
One-on-one against Neuer.
The German goalkeeper had an enormous sweeping range, and the moment Benzema received Theodore's pass, Neuer was already charging out, trying to close the angle before the Frenchman could settle.
Benzema stayed calm.
He did not guide it toward the far corner.
He did not smash it with power.
Instead, he chose something colder.
A nutmeg finish.
In that tiny window before Neuer could fully set himself, Benzema rolled the ball straight through the goalkeeper's legs.
The ball slipped beneath Neuer and slowly rolled into the net!
2–0.
Real Madrid had doubled their lead!
"Benzema scores! Real Madrid have two at the Allianz!" Rob Palmer shouted. "And what a pass from Theodore Bjorn!"
"That through ball is magnificent," Terry Gibson said. "It's like a surgeon's scalpel. He cuts straight through Bayern's defensive line, Benzema times the run perfectly, and then the finish through Neuer's legs is ice-cold."
"This is exactly what the new tactical picture gives Madrid," Rob added. "They can sit deeper, absorb Bayern's pressure, and the moment Theodore gets his head up, Bayern's back line is in trouble."
The Madrid players rushed toward Benzema, but almost everyone pointed back toward Theodore as well.
Because everyone knew where the goal had truly come from.
A single pass that broken the line!
That was the value of Theodore's new weapon.
📱 @MadridistaHQ ✔
THEODORE THROUGH BALL. BENZEMA NUTMEG FINISH. 2–0 AT THE ALLIANZ.
| ↳ 📱 @BlancoPulse
| Reply: That pass was filthy. He cut Bayern open like it was nothing.
📱 @UCLMadridista ✔
Theodore already has a goal and an assist inside ten minutes. Bayern wanted the Ballon d'Or debate. Here's the answer.
| ↳ 📱 @FootballThreads
| Reply: The scary part is he didn't even need to dribble that time. He just looked up and killed them with one pass.
📱 @BayernZone ✔
We're 2–0 down at home and both goals came directly from Theodore. This is a nightmare.
| ↳ 📱 @MiaSanMiaTalk
| Reply: Lewandowski hasn't even touched the match properly and Theodore has already destroyed us twice.
On the touchline, Flick's expression had completely changed.
Bayern were the defending champions.
They were playing at the Allianz Arena.
They had started the match intending to hand Real Madrid their first defeat of the season.
And now, less than ten minutes in, they were already two goals down.
Across the pitch, Lewandowski stood near the center circle, his face cold.
Theodore had scored once.
Then he had assisted Benzema.
The Ballon d'Or debate, which Bayern fans had been shouting about before kickoff, suddenly felt cruelly one-sided.
Real Madrid had barely needed time to settle.
And Bayern were already bleeding!
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