Real Madrid Legend Joselu Achieves A Record For Scoring In The Champions League.
On Wednesday evening, Joselu made history by setting a new Champions League scoring record as Real Madrid clinched a dramatic victory over Bayern Munich. Heading into the second leg of their semi-final clash at the Bernabeu with the aggregate score tied at 2-2, Los Blancos were favored to capitalize on home advantage.
However, midway through the second half, Alphonso Davies surprised the home crowd by curling a precise shot into the far bottom corner from 16 yards out with his weaker right foot.
Davies’s goal left Carlo Ancelotti’s side on the brink of elimination from the competition for the second consecutive year. Yet, Real Madrid demonstrated their trademark resilience by mounting another memorable comeback. Joselu played a pivotal role in the late stages of the match, scoring twice to engineer an improbable turnaround.
Joselu made history by becoming the oldest substitute player to score two goals in a knockout fixture in the Champions League. This remarkable feat occurred when Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer spilled a poorly-delivered cross in the 88th minute, allowing Joselu to capitalize from close range and level the score for Real.
In the first minute of nine added on, the former Stoke City player, currently on loan at Espanyol, struck again. He found the back of the net after meeting a low cross from Antonio Rudiger at the back post. Although initially ruled offside, VAR confirmed Joselu’s goal, leading to jubilation at the Bernabeu as Real took the lead.
Joselu’s double increased his tally to five goals in this season’s Champions League, despite making only two starts and eight substitute appearances.
Can setting goals assist Joselu in remaining at Real Madrid? At 34 years old, Joselu is in the latter phase of his career, yet Real deemed him a cost-efficient backup option following Karim Benzema’s departure last summer.
Despite a €1.5m buy option being part of the loan deal from Espanyol, uncertainty lingered regarding Real’s willingness to retain him long-term, particularly with the anticipation of Kylian Mbappe’s potential arrival by the end of the 2023-24 season.
Nevertheless, Joselu has now accumulated an impressive 17 goals from 16 starts and 30 substitute appearances across all competitions this season, proving his worth to Ancelotti and the club at large.
Reportedly, Manchester United and other clubs are keeping tabs on the situation, yet Real find themselves in a position where declining the opportunity to secure Joselu permanently may prove difficult.
Given his stint as a former Real Madrid ‘B’ player from 2009-2012, it appears that a deal beneficial to all parties is on the horizon.
