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Joselu set a new Champions League scoring record on Wednesday night as Real Madrid overcame Bayern Munich in spectacular fashion.
The teams entered the second leg of their semi-final confrontation at the Bernabeu tied 2-2 on aggregate, with Los Blancos favourites to capitalise on home advantage.
However, midway through the second half, Alphonso Davies cut inside on his weaker right foot and sent a brilliant strike into the far bottom corner from 16 yards out.
Davies’ goal stunned the home crowd, and it appeared like Carlo Ancelotti’s side would be eliminated from the competition in the last four for the second consecutive year.
That was until Real staged another spectacular comeback in their illustrious history, with Joselu scoring twice in the closing stages to complete an unexpected turnaround.
Joselu | How does the forward create history?
When Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer mishandled a badly delivered cross in the 88th minute, Joselu stepped up to finish from close range, bringing Real back level.
In the first minute of additional time, the former Stoke City player and current Espanyol loanee scored again, scoring at the back post after meeting Antonio Rudiger’s low cross.
Joselu was originally judged to be offside, but VAR helped to validate the scoring. But when Bernabeu took the lead, the supporters were ecstatic.
Joselu’s double brought him to five goals in this season’s Champions League, despite having only two starts and eight substitute appearances.
He also holds the Champions League record for the oldest substitute player to score two goals in a knockout match.
Will Joselu’s goals help him stay at Real?
Joselu, 34, is nearing the twilight of his career. However, Real regarded him as a low-cost replacement for Karim Benzema after the latter left last summer.
Although a €1.5 million buy option was included in the loan move from Espanyol, it remained unclear whether Real would be willing to keep him in the squad in the long run, with the idea that Kylian Mbappe would join at the end of 2023-24.
However, Joselu has an underrated 17 goals from 16 starts and 30 substitute appearances in all competitions this season, proving crucial to Ancelotti and the team as a whole.
Manchester United is reportedly one among the clubs monitoring the issue, but Real effectively finds themselves in a position where it may be impossible to turn down the opportunity to sign Joselu on a permanent basis.
As a former Real Madrid ‘B’ player from 2009 to 2012, this appears to be a fair contract for all parties involved.
