The Germans always seem to hold their nerve when penalties come around, and this time was no different.
Ronaldo and Kaka, both FIFA Player of the Year winners, missed Real's first two penalty kicks. But Kroos and Lahm returned the favor, setting up a dramatic finale.
Ramos went for power, and sent his spot-kick toward Pluto. It will land in a light year or two. Schweinsteiger calmly dispatched his penalty to send his team into a state of delerium.
Bayern Munich will play Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League final on May 19. It will be staged at Bayern's home stadium — the Allianz Arena. This marks the first time in the Champions League era that a team will play in the final at home
That's all for now and thanks for joining us. Let's discuss this one on Twitter @NESNsoccer and Facebook. Be sure to keep an eye out for some news, fan reactions, analysis and opinion that is on the way on NESN.com.
111th minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: Granero is coming into the game for Ozil.
There was so much talk that Granero would leave the club during the winter transfer window, but here he is, right in the thick of the action in the most important minutes of the season.
107th minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: It will be crucial for Gustavo and Badstuber to hold their nerves and emotions in check in this second period.
106th minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: The teams have switched sides and the penultimate 15-minute period is under way.
There are tired legs and tired minds all over the field.
Real substituted Higuain for Benzema at the break.
105th minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: Badstuber becomes the next player booked by the referee.
He too will miss the final because of yellow-card accumulation.
102nd minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: Gustavo is cautioned for a foul on Pepe. He will miss the final should Bayern advance.
It's a shame for the Brazilian midfielder. He has been one of the game's most influential players.
His tough-tackling ways caught up with him, and the referee showed him yellow after he committed at least five or six fouls.
99th minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: Pepe was nearly the catalyst for the go-ahead goal. He burst forward from his position in defense to find Ronaldo at the top of the area.
A last-ditch tackle by Badstuber prevented Ronaldo from completing the hat-trick.
95th minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: An exhausted Ribery makes way for Mueller.
He didn't provide any of those trademark moments of magic, but his overall contribution was significant.
The Frenchman hurried and chased Real's attackers, and helped Bayern control the tempo for so much of the game.
93rd minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: Real has managed to seize the initiative in this first period of extra time.
It hasn't yielded any scoring chances, but Bayern was momentarily pinned deep in its own end.
90th minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: The second half was nothing like the first, but it was every bit as tense.
The semifinal is tied 3-3 on aggregate, and this game is heading for extra-time.
86th minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: Alaba found Robben at the top of the area.
Then Robbern slipped it to Gomez in a fantastic position to score, but the normally sure-footed striker took a heavy touch and slipped before hitting a weak effort.
That was the golden chance to put his team in the final, and Gomez wasted it.
82nd minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: Extra time is looming large in this contest.
Real Madrid has used one of its three substitutions, while Bayern has not used any of them.
Robben and Ribery have been threatening in recent minutes, but there is very little space to exploit.
75th minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: Kaka is coming on for Di Maria.
The Brazilian must have been disappointed not to start, but he has plenty of time to make an impact (as he has done with increasing frequency this season).
72nd minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: Ronaldo is usually deadly on free kicks, but he has wasted three opportunities from good positions during the game.
It is a weapon that the hosts must exploit, because Bayern can continue to outmuscle Real if there is no danger from set-pieces.
66th minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: Robben looked like he had skipped around Pepe, but he took a heavy touch and Casillas was able to race off his line and intervene.
The game has indeed tightened, as neither team wants to make a mistake and concede the winning goal.
59th minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: Arbeloa has been booked for a professional foul on Ribery. It prevented Bayern's wing wizard from starting a quick counter-attack.
58th minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: Benzema tested Neuer on one end, and Gomez shot on Casillas' goal at the other.
Both teams have produced half chances in the last 10 minutes, as the game has become less about speed and more and more about tactics and focus.
55th minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: If there is any team with a slight advantage, it is Bayern.
It has been able to possess and move the ball around the field with greater purpose than Madrid in the second half.
When it loses the ball, it presses Madrid into making uncharacteristic mistakes.
47th minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: The second half starts in the same vein as the first with Gomez flashing a header wide.
Halftime, 2-1 Real Madrid: A thrilling and gripping half has come to a close. Real Madrid is leading the game, but the semifinal is tied 3-3 on aggregate.
It looked like the hosts were going to run away to the final, but nobody told Bayern Munich.
The Germans have pressed forward from start to finish, and their quality created a number of chances.
It was only Pepe's foul on Gomez that earned Bayern a penalty, but it deserved a goal on the strength of its play.
45th minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: Bayern has a free kick in a dangerous position — nearly 20 yards away from goal — after Pepe fouls a diving Robben.
Robben hit it through the wall, but Casillas made a diving save.
41st minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: The game has just settled down a bit after the frantic start.
Each team has been able to establish a rhythm to its play, but the tackles are still coming hard and fast from all sides.
34th minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: Gomez hit a soft shot at Casillas, which was saved.
Real failed to clear, and Bayern had another attempt at goal.
It came back to Ribery at the top of the six yard box, but Alonso made a desperate, sliding tackle before he could unleash the shot.
31st minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: This has really shaped up as a heavyweight clash between two titans.
Both teams are attacking at every step, and there are certainly more goals to come.
Benzema carried play into the Bayern area, and hit a curling shot just wide of the outstretched Neuer.
27th minute, 2-1 Real Madrid: And Robben buries the penalty to the right of Casillas.
The goalkeeper got a fingertip to it, but he knocked it off the inside of the post and in.
26th minute, 2-0 Real Madrid: Now Bayern has won a penalty. Pepe has been booked for fouling Gomez in the area.
26th minute, 2-0 Real Madrid: Real is presented with a couple of chances, after there is some confusion in the Bayern defense.
23rd minute, 2-0 Real Madrid: Bayern remains competent and confident going when on the ball.
The visitors' passing is sharp, which causes Real Madrid defenders to do a lot of unnecessary running.
If Bayern can keep this up, it will have a real psycological advantage. If it can score, it will have all the momentum.
20th minute, 2-0 Real Madrid: Although trailing by two, Bayern has still shown a willingness and ability to get forward and carve up Madrid's defense.
The Germans know that one goal will tie the aggregate score, and change the complexion of the contest.
14th minute, 2-0 Real Madrid: Ronaldo scores again. He received a pass from Ozil at the top of the area, took one touch toward the goal, and coolly slotted it past Neuer.
Bayern had responded to the first goal with a couple of chances, but Real made the visitors pay for their sloppy defending.
Ronaldo was wide open at the top of the area, and he'll finish that every time.
12th minute, 1-0 Real Madrid: Gomez shoots from distance, drawing a save from Casillas. But the Real Madrid goalkeeper fumbled it.
Ribery was first to react, but he could not put his shot on goal. It was him versus Casillas, and his accuracy failed him from close range.
Seventh minute, 1-0 Real Madrid: Alaba tries to make amends for the handball. He nearly created the equalizer by bursting down the left and crossing across the face of goal to Robben.
Robben somehow put his shot over the bar from six yards out. It bounced a little high for the Dutch winger, but he still should have finished it off.
Sixth minute, 1-0 Real Madrid: Ronaldo firmly buries the penalty to Neuer's left.
Fifth minute, 0-0: It's a penalty for Real.
Di Maria took a long pass, and shot on the volley. Alaba slid and the ball hit his arm.
Third minute, 0-0: Di Maria skipped past Alaba on the right side of the area, and set up Khedira. The midfielder's shot went straight at Neuer, but it was a statement of Real's intent. Bayern will need to defend as a team against Real's legion of attacking stars.
Pregame: There are no real surprises in either team. The result could hinge on the play of the central defenders.
One player to watch on Real Madrid is Ramos. He spent the early part of his career as a right fullback, but Mourinho has converted him into a pretty good center back over the last two seasons. This is his moment.
Bayern has lots of firepower going forward, but the center of its defense has been accused of being "soft." Badstuber and Boateng are the youngsters in the middle. They will be under constant pressure throughout this game.
2 p.m.: Here are the lineups:
Real Madrid
Iker Casillas (1), goalkeeper
Alvaro Arbeloa (17), right back
Sergio Ramos (4), center back
Pepe (3), center back
Marcelo (12), left back
Xabi Alonso (14), midfielder
Sami Khedira (6), midfielder
Mezut Ozil (10), midfielder
Angel Di Maria (22), forward
Cristiano Ronaldo (7), forward
Karim Benzema (9), striker
Substitutes
Antonio Adan (13), goalkeeper
Raul Albiol (18), defender
Fabio Coentrao (15), defender
Esteban Granero (11), midfieler
Kaka (8), midfielder
Jose Callejon (21), forward
Gonzalo Higuain (20), striker
Bayern Munich
Manuel Neuer (1), goalkeeper
Philipp Lahm (21), right back
Holger Badstuber (28), center back
Jerome Boateng (17), center back
David Alaba (27), left back
Luiz Gustavo (30), midfielder
Bastian Schwiensteiger (31), midfielder
Tony Kroos (39), midfielder
Arjen Robben (10), midfielder
Franck Ribery (7), midfielder
Mario Gomez (33), striker
Substitutes
Hans Jorg Butt (22), goalkeeper
Diego Contento (26), defender
Rafinha (13), defender
Anatoliy Tymoshchuk (44), midfielder
Danijel Pranjic (23), midfielder
Thomas Muller (25), forward
Ivica Olic (11), striker
12 a.m. ET: Two giants of European soccer meet on Wednesday for the right to advance to the UEFA Champions League final. Their standing in the game makes it seem a little odd that each would be hoping for things like "luck" and "crowd support" to see them through, but that is the case.
Real Madrid hosts Bayern Munich in the second leg of the their semifinal series. Bayern won 2-1 last week, taking a slight advantage into the second leg. Real Madrid's away goal looms large, and the Spanish club knows a 1-0 will do the job just fine.
The home team will likely take a patient approach, focusing on playing to its strengths and eliminating its own mistakes. The margin for error is slim, but the opportunity is great. Cristiano Ronaldo issued a rallying cry to the fans who will pack the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
"I hope we reach the final because it is very important to us players, to Real Madrid and to our fans throughout the world," he said. "The crowd has to play the most important role as soon as we step onto the pitch because we can feel it.
"If we stand united, things will turn out well. It is a decisive match and the players are more confident and feel we can do even better when we feel the backing of the supporters."
Bayern Munich's campaign has been modest compared to Wednesday's opponent. But the motivation of participating in the final that takes place on home soil (May 19 at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany) has been the carrot for which Bayern has been striving all season.
Manager Jupp Heynckes promises that his team will rise to the occasion and perform on club soccer's biggest stage at one of its hallowed venues.
"It is going to be spectacular. It is going to be a real treat with everything which belongs in such a football game," Heynckes said.
"It will be a battle of the giants. Both clubs have a great history and I am looking forward to it, and I hope it has a positive outcome for us.
Join us right here for Real Madrid-Bayern Munich. We'll have all the action starting at 1:45 p.m.
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