England captain Harry Kane had netted a penalty of his own, beating goalkeeper Andriy Lunin early in the second half after Jamal Musiala was tripped by Lucas Vazquez in the box.

Minutes before, team-mate Leroy Sane had struck a thunderous effort inside the near post, cancelling out Vinicius’ opener.

Control of the game switched hands as Bayern had failed to take advantage of their early dominance before Vinicius was played in behind by a clever Toni Kroos through ball.

Having had six shots and over 60% possession in the first 20 minutes – the best of the chances falling to Sane and Kane—Baden were behind against the run of play.

But a ruthless four-minute period in the second half turned the game around, and the German giants regained their momentum.

They put Real under pressure and were perhaps unfortunate not to have extended their lead.

Kim’s mistake—a needless tug on Rodrygo’s shirt in the 83rd minute—allowed Real back into the game and they return to the Bernabeu Stadium with home advantage in next Wednesday’s second leg.

Tie in the balance as Bayern miss chances

With defending champions Manchester City knocked out by Real in the quarter-finals, both of these teams will feel they can win the competition.

Pressure has built for Bayern after Bayer Leverkusen halted their run of 11 consecutive Bundesliga titles and it has already been announced that manager Tuchel will be leaving this summer.

Amid fresh reports of his potential successor, Tuchel’s side started on top, controlling possession at the Allianz Arena and creating plenty of chances.

Sane was denied by goalkeeper Lunin, while Kane’s lob from the halfway line landed dangerously on the roof of the net.

However, Real showed their quality in one quick and devastating move for the opener – the pass from Kroos weighted to perfection and Vinicius’ composure did not waver as he scored in his third successive Champions League semi-final tie.

Tuchel’s side bounced back in the second half and again it was Kane and Sane who threatened, while Musiala tormented Vazquez with tricks and speed down the left-hand side.

Chances came and went for both teams – Kroos and Vinicius forced strong saves out of Manuel Neuer and England defender Eric Dier missed headed opportunities from set-pieces.

Kane now holds the record of most goal involvements by an English player in a single Champions League season (eight goals, three assists) and had a shot deflected just wide in the second half.

Bayern created enough to add to their tally but it was Vinicius who had the final say from the penalty spot, ensuring this tie remains in the balance.

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Jude Bellingham, meanwhile, has lit up the Bernabeu during his debut season at Real Madrid.

England boss Gareth Southgate will no doubt be among the keenest of observers when the pair meet in the first leg in Munich on Tuesday.

Both men are set to be key to the Three Lions’ Euro 2024 campaign, but who will prevail at club level?

Can Bellingham outdo Ronaldo?

Bellingham had every top club fighting for his signature last summer after it became clear one of football’s leading young talents would be on the move.

The former Birmingham City player had starred at Borussia Dortmund, and the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Chelsea all reportedly went out of their way to convince Bellingham to join them.

But the pull of Real Madrid proved too much for the Stourbridge-born midfielder, and he moved to Spain in an £89m transfer.

Having a price tag like that hanging over a player is one thing, but how would Bellingham fare with the added pressure of being one of Real’s Galacticos?

Quite brilliantly is the answer. In all competitions, the England international has scored 21 goals and registered 10 assists in 36 games.

He has also scored injury-time winners against Barcelona at home and away in La Liga to further cement his place as one of Real’s star men.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s first season at the Bernabeu was more impressive in terms of goals, but the five-time Ballon d’Or winner ended his first campaign without a trophy.

Bellingham, on the other hand, is on course for a La Liga title and is three games away from winning the Champions League too.

With four goals and four assists in eight continental games so far this term, Bellingham is on a mission to bring the European Cup trophy back to the Spanish capital for the 15th time.

But in order to achieve that, he must first lead his side past Bayern and England team-mate Harry Kane.

If either Bellingham or Kane lift the Champions League this season, they may just go on to be the favourite for the Ballon d’Or come the end of the year.

Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel said his side need to find “solutions” to deal with Bellingham.

“Jude is extraordinary,” he said. “He was fantastic here in the Bundesliga. How he progressed shows the level of personality he has—it’s only possible with a huge personality.

“Everyone who plays for Madrid plays with the pressure of the shirt. He plays with the pressure to play with this club and all the expectations.

“He handles it like he’s never done anything else. But we are well aware of it and will try and find solutions [on Tuesday].”

Kane’s silverware hunt continues

Kane joined Bayern Munich from Tottenham Hotspur on a four-year deal last August for an initial 100m euros (£86.4m) plus add-ons.

While it was hoped he would hit the ground running given his obvious quality and ability, Spurs’ all-time top scorer has exceeded expectations at Bayern.

He has scored 42 goals in all competitions in his debut campaign for the Bundesliga giants, beating his previous best haul of 41 for Tottenham in 2017–18.

Thirty-five of those goals have been in the German top flight, and he is six short of Robert Lewandowski’s record of 41 goals in a Bundesliga season with three games left.

In 10 Champions League matches, Kane has netted seven times and provided three assists, including a penalty in Bayern’s 2-2 draw in the quarter-final first leg against old rivals Arsenal.

Only Kylian Mbappe has scored more than Kane in this season’s competition.

However, the Bavarian giants are without a win in their past seven knockout meetings against Real Madrid – drawing one and losing six.

With the Bundesliga title already relinquished and manager Tuchel departing at the end of the season, this is the last chance for Bayern to end the campaign with silverware, and Real boss Carlo Ancelotti knows they will pose a big threat.

“We are two teams that don’t have a very clear identity, and we can play the games in different ways,” he said.

“In terms of quality, they are strong in transition, they can change their style and they are very dangerous.

“But it’s only the first leg, it’s a 180 [minutes] tie which we face with confidence, but in the knowledge that we are up against a quality opponent with very strong individuals.”

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England captain Kane expertly curled in a free-kick to put Bayern 2-0 up on the stroke of half-time.

Second-half goals came from Mathys Tel and a double from Thomas Muller before Yorbe Vertessen scored a late consolation.

Union’s game plan was clear in the first half as they sat in a low block and tried to counter-attack Thomas Tuchel’s side, who were fresh from securing their place in the Champions League semi-finals.

But their heads dropped once Germany internationals Goretzka and Kane had made it 2-0, and Bayern raced away in the second period.

Tuchel’s side have moved three points ahead of Stuttgart as they look to secure a second spot, with Bayer Leverkusen winning the Bundesliga title last weekend.

Union, however, remains three points above the relegation play-off spot.

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Mauricio Pochettino’s side needed to produce a response after they were thrashed 7-2 at home by Bayern Munich in their last Group B game and after losing a two-goal lead to draw with Olympiakos in the opening round of matches.

And they secured their first win in emphatic fashion as an early header from Harry Kane and two smart finishes from Son Heung-min gave them a three-goal advantage by half-time.

Red Star, who were backed by a large group of fans despite Uefa restrictions imposed after incidents of racism at a qualifier against HJK Helsinki in July, had no answer as Erik Lamela scored a fourth and Kane added another.

It was a performance and a scoreline to give Pochettino and Spurs a much-needed injection of confidence after their indifferent start to the season, and before Sunday’s daunting visit to Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Pochettino would have gratefully accepted any sort of good news after their recent miserable run that comprised that record loss to Bayern here in the Champions League, a heavy defeat at Brighton and a fortunate draw at home to struggling Watford last weekend.

This, then, was exactly what he was hoping for as Spurs put their troubles behind them to dominate a timid Red Star and get themselves right back into their group.

Spurs, as they actually did before being swamped by Bayern, started with real intensity and quality and on this occasion were helped by opponents who had neither the resources to resist nor the firepower to offer any serious threat.

This was effectively the ideal environment for Spurs to at least banish some of their troubles and play themselves back into the form that has made them a permanent presence in the upper reaches of the Premier League in recent seasons and Champions League finalists last term.

The talent remains within this Spurs side, as exemplified by Son and Kane, but they have needed something to re-ignite the spark that took them so far last season.

Time will tell if this victory provides it as the mediocre standard of the opposition must put the win in context – but it at least provides Spurs and Pochettino with some sort of platform.

Pochettino restored Son and Lamela to the starting line-up after the poor performance against Watford on Saturday and was richly rewarded by both.

South Korean Son is a high-class performer who is at home on the elite stage and he was the catalyst for this vastly-improved performance, setting the tone from the first whistle with his direct approach.

He was also a constant threat, scoring at the far post after Kane had put Spurs ahead and stroking in a calm finish for the third that effectively ended this as a contest right on half-time.

Lamela also got in on the act, sending in the corner for Kane and creating the second for Son with a fine turn and cross before putting himself on the scoresheet with a left-footed drive.

Pochettino will be looking for vital signs in all areas of the Spurs team as he tries to drag this talented squad out of the doldrums and this pair delivered in style for their manager.

Christian Eriksen may have been struggling with a dead leg recently but how significant is it that he was on the bench here?

The Dane’s future at Spurs looks anything but long-term and they did not miss him as Dele Alli did a hard-working stint between a deeper and more advance role that earned him a huge ovation when he was substituted late on.

Moussa Sissoko and Tanguy Ndombele provided plenty of energy and power and it is clear Eriksen, so influential for so long, must fight his way back into contention for however long he remains at the club.

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Maddison drilled a superb low effort into the far corner from distance to lift Brendan Rodgers’ side back into the top four at the visitors’ expense.

Ricardo Pereira had put the Foxes back on level terms, moments after Spurs had been denied a second goal when Serge Aurier’s low drive was disallowed for a marginal offside call against Son Heung-min.

Harry Kane’s fourth league goal of the season had given Spurs the lead in the first half, the England striker slotting Son’s clever flick beyond Kasper Schmeichel despite being knocked off balance by Foxes defender Caglar Soyuncu.

Leicester thought they had opened the scoring themselves when Wilfred Ndidi scored on the rebound after Paulo Gazzaniga spilled Youri Tielemans’ effort, but the goal was ruled out for offside by VAR.

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino accused his players of “lacking fight” after they surrendered a two-goal lead to draw with Olympiakos in the Champions League midweek.

The result mirrored their 2-2 draw with north London rivals Arsenal in their previous away league game, with Kane admitting after Wednesday’s Group B opener that Spurs had failed to learn from recent mistakes.

Pochettino made six changes to the team that started in Greece, with Hugo Lloris unavailable due to his wife giving birth and Dele Alli left out of the squad altogether. Christian Eriksen, Lucas Moura and Eric Dier all had to settle for places on the bench.

Perhaps as a result, the visitors looked disjointed in the early stages and were fortunate not to fall behind when Ndidi’s effort was chalked off.

There was nothing fortunate about Kane’s opener 13 minutes later, however.

The England striker managed to latch on to Son’s back-heel and despite losing his balance under Soyuncu’s challenge, he somehow managed to knock the ball past Jonny Evans before lifting it over Schmeichel into the far corner.

Spurs thought they had doubled their lead when Aurier drilled a powerful drive into the far corner, but Son was adjudged to have been marginally offside in the build-up and the goal was chalked off.

Buoyed by that narrow decision, Leicester threw bodies forward and restored parity through Pereira, before Maddison struck with five minutes remaining to extend Spurs’ winless league run away from home to nine games.

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With the in-form South Korean Son Heung-min playing his last match before heading off to the Asia Cup, Pochettino was a worried man.

The last thing he then needed was the sight of Kane hobbling off the pitch after being clattered by Manchester United’s Phil Jones late on.

Kane and Son have scored 22 goals between them this season and, without them, Tottenham look short of goals, especially with Spaniard Fernando Llorente struggling for form.

“It was a clear foul on Harry Kane, a big hit, but (referee) Mike Dean said he didn’t see it,” Pochettino said of Jones’ challenge.

“Kane twisted his ankle and we hope that it is not a big issue. My worry is that it was a bad tackle in the last moment.

“It wasn’t the intention of the Manchester United player but it was a bad tackle and now he has bit of a swelling on his ankle and he was limping after the game.

“We are going to lose Son for the Asia Cup and if Harry Kane suffers an injury, it is going to be massive for us.”

Tottenham also lost midfield powerhouse Moussa Sissoko to a groin injury before halftime, adding to their woes.

Defeat left Spurs nine points behind English Premier League leaders Liverpool and they will be five behind Manchester City if the champions win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday.

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He came off the bench to score a late winner in his side’s 1-0 victory over Inter Milan at Wembley.

Inter Milan, needing just a draw to reach the knockout rounds at Tottenham’s expense, were holding firm until Eriksen smashed home his side’s winner in the 80th minute.

That came after superb work from midfield powerhouse Moussa Sissoko.

The win meant Tottenham and Inter Milan both have seven points in Group B, but Tottenham leapfrogged the Italians into second place by virtue of their head-to-head record.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side will complete an unlikely salvage job if they win against group winners FC Barcelona at the Nou Camp next month.

It is also possible if they at least match Inter Milan’s result against bottom club PSV Eindhoven.

Eriksen and Son Heung-min, two of the stars of Tottenham’s 3-1 defeat of Chelsea on Saturday, were both left on the bench, and their late introductions proved pivotal.

But it was French midfielder Sissoko, so often a misfit since his 30 million pounds ($38.48 million) move to London in August 2016, who proved the key to unlocking Inter’s defence.

With the clock ticking down and Tottenham’s plight becoming desperate, he barrelled his way into the area.

He played the ball across for Dele Alli, who showed great vision to help it on to Eriksen, who fired high past Samir Handanovic.

“We still have have one more game to go. Our focus was to win this and now our next one is Barca,” Eriksen said.

“It will be tough but fun, we know what we have to play for.”

The Dane added: “Tonight Inter Milan came to defend. They knew one point would be better than losing, and playing against Italian sides, you don’t have many chances. Luckily, I took mine and we kept them away.”

Some of Tottenham’s best UEFA Champions League moments have come against Italian opposition, notably in their debut campaign in 2010-11.

That was when they beat Inter Milan at home and AC Milan away in the San Siro on their way to the quarter-finals.

There have been crushing disappointments, too — none bigger than last season’s 2-1 home defeat by Juventus in the last 16, which deprived them of a place in the last eight.

This season they led 1-0 away to Inter Milan in their opening game in the group only for late goals by Mauro Icardi and Matias Vecino to inflict a defeat.

The defeat meant they have been playing catch-up ever since.

Harry Kane’s double against PSV Eindhoven earned Tottenham their first win in the group to put their fate just about back in their own hands.

But only victory over Inter Milan would do.

Tottenham dominated the first half, with Alli shooting over early on, and Lucas Moura having a shot saved after another burst forward by Sissoko.

Harry Winks also curled a sublime effort against the crossbar.

Inter Milan had chances, too, with substitute Borja Valero wasting their best one shortly after replacing the injured Radja Nainggolan.

Tottenham were perhaps fortunate not to end the half with 10 men after Erik Lamela caught Marcelo Brozovic on the shin with a reckless tackle.

Tottenham struggled to open up Inter Milan after the break and when Jan Vertonghen headed wide from Eriksen’s superb free kick in the 75th minute it seemed Tottenham’s hopes were fading.

But Eriksen popped up to set up what could yet be a memorable night in Barcelona

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After Alvaro Morata headed in Victor Moses’ cross to give the hosts the lead, Christian Eriksen hit a stunning equaliser on the stroke of half-time as his dipping effort from 25 yards dropped just under the bar and over a stranded Willy Caballero.

Alli then took centre stage in the second half, putting Tottenham ahead just after the hour mark when he produced a sublime first touch to bring Eric Dier’s ball under control before slotting beyond Caballero.

The England midfielder was well-placed four minutes later to stab in following a goalmouth scramble and wrap up a win that moves fourth-placed Tottenham eight points clear of Chelsea, who are fifth.

It was also the perfect response by Alli after a disappointing couple of weeks with England on international duty.

He failed to make an impact in a 22-minute substitute appearance in the 1-0 win against the Netherlands and was then left on the bench for the 1-1 draw with Italy.

“I’m very, very pleased,” said Pochettino. “It’s been a tough period for him, but for no doubt about his talent, his character. He’s a fighter; very competitive.

“If he doesn’t play for the international team he needs to fight and win trust and confidence again.

“In the end, he’s a great talent, only 21 years old, and sometimes we lose the focus on that.

“Sometimes the expectation is too much. There is too much pressure.”

Chelsea full-back Marcos Alonso described this London derby as a ‘must-win game’ beforehand and it was hard to disagree, given the consequences for Champions League qualification.

Antonio Conte’s side had won just three of their nine league games in 2018 prior to Tottenham’s visit but they did have history in their favour.

Spurs had a torrid record at Stamford Bridge in the league, losing 18 of their 27 games since a late Gary Lineker header secured a 2-1 win in February 1990.

It looked as if their miserable run would continue as, despite dominating possession, they fell behind after an excellent ball by Antonio Rudiger found Moses wide right and the wing-back delivered a perfect cross for Morata to score his seventh headed goal of the season.

The balance of play then swung in Chelsea’s favour as they went on the hunt for a second and Hugo Lloris did well to push away a strong Alonso strike.

But Tottenham are a team with momentum. They had not lost in the Premier League since 16 December, winning all four of their previous fixtures, and Eriksen, so often capable of creating something from nothing, delivered a sucker punch with his excellent dipping strike.

From then on, the visitors were in control and Alli’s quick-fire not only put paid to Chelsea’s chances of getting a result but possibly their top-four hopes as well.

They will now need to take at least nine points from the 21 available just to overhaul Tottenham’s current total. Given that they have taken just six points from their previous seven games, it would seem a tall task.

“We have to try until the end to catch the teams in the Champions League places and in this case it is Tottenham and Liverpool,” Chelsea boss Conte said.

The sight of Harry Kane grimacing in pain while clutching his ankle at Bournemouth on 11 March will have been a devastating one for both Tottenham and England fans.

The striker has been in scintillating form this season with an incredible 39 goals in just 43 games in all competitions, so the prospect of him being out for a lengthy spell had threatened to upset Tottenham’s top-four hopes and England’s World Cup preparations.

However, having avoided any significant damage to his ankle, he has made a recovery quicker than anticipated and was fit enough to be on the Tottenham bench at Chelsea. He was introduced with 16 minutes remaining, as Alli’s two goals allowed him to be eased back into action.

With Tottenham just four points behind second-placed Manchester United and an FA Cup semi-final against Jose Mourinho’s men on the horizon, Spurs would appear to have their form – and their key players back – at just the right time.

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