Real Madrid dethrone champions Bayern Munich

Sergio Ramos got things started for Real Madrid, beating Bayern's Manuel Neuer twice in the early goings of the first half. Odd Andersen / AFP

It is a result to reverberate around Europe. A Bayern Munich team shaping up as the greatest of their generation were not just defeated. They were destroyed.

Real Madrid were majestic, surging through the Uefa Champions League semi-finals for the first time in 12 years. The most successful club in European Cup history must now be favourites to secure their long-awaited 10th triumph.

Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice apiece, meaning Portugal's captain goes to its capital, Lisbon, for a final he should savour.

As Bayern suffered their heaviest European home defeat, it was an extraordinary turnaround. A year ago, they were the side making a statement on the big stage, beating Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate.

This result has signified a sudden shift in the balance of power from Germany to Spain. The Bundesliga provided both finalists last year. The city of Madrid may supply them this season.

The understated Carlo Ancelotti, rather than the worshipped Pep Guardiola, is the coach who could equal Bob Paisley’s record of three European Cup wins.

Guardiola, the Barcelona hero turned Bayern manager, has experienced the most damaging of defeats, personally and professionally. The Catalan will not emulate his predecessor Jupp Heynckes, winner of a historic treble last season. The Bayern team of 2014 came up short compared to the class of 2013.

It was another illustration of how difficult it is to retain the Uefa Champions League. Not since AC Milan, in 1990, have the winners successfully defended their title and, if Bayern seemed better equipped than most to buck the trend, they were eviscerated in extraordinary fashion by this potent Madrid team. The holders were horrific, the challengers terrific.

Bayern lost the game, their crown and their cool. The shock was that they were shambolic at the back. They played with a ludicrously high defensive line, which twice almost brought their undoing.

Manuel Neuer, charged with operating as a keeper-sweeper, came out of his area to first misplace a header and then slice a clearance. Gareth Bale, the world’s most expensive player, hooked a shot over an unguarded goal from 40 yards. Ronaldo, named the best player in 2013, was fractionally wide from 50 yards.

But Bayern’s undoing came in their own box. Their downfall owed less to galacticos than a failure to execute the defensive basics. Madrid scored a swift set-piece double with Ramos left unattended to head in twice within the space of four minutes. On neither occasion was the marking good enough.

First, the centre-back met Luka Modric’s corner with a towering leap and an emphatic header. Then, when Pepe flicked on Angel di Maria’s free kick, he headed in again.

They were moments of redemption for Ramos, who had skied his penalty in the 2012 semi-final shoot-out against Bayern. They ensured there would be no test of nerve from 12 yards.

Then Bayern’s task went from the improbable to the impossible. Madrid’s third goal was magnificent. Karim Benzema fed Bale, who burst clear and, unselfishly, picked out Ronaldo to his left to sweep in his shot. It gave the Portuguese a record 15th Champions League goal this season, eclipsing the previous best, set by his old enemy Lionel Messi.

His 16th, and Madrid’s fourth, came with a late, low free kick to take his tally of 51 strikes in 50 Champions League games for his employers.

At the other end, Arjen Robben, Frank Ribery and Toni Kroos all had shots for Bayern, but none really looked like scoring.

Bayern’s fourth defeat in eight games was inevitable. They have gone off the boil when it mattered most, leaving Guardiola’s project looking incomplete. There will be no European glory in his debut year in Bavaria. The master plan may require tinkering, not least in defence.

Several precise passers will miss the final, one in the Madrid ranks. The only blot on their wonderful night was the rather needless caution Xabi Alonso collected, bringing him a suspension.

It could afford an opening to Sami Khedira, who is returning to fitness. At least one German will be going to Lisbon.

Follow us on twitter at @SprtNationalUAE