Champions League: Ex Barcelona Star Silences Real Madrid Critics After Semi Final Draw With Bayern

• Thierry Henry has a message for the detractors of Real Madrid
• He offered his rebuttal after the UCL draw with Bayern Munich
• Real Madrid will be looking forward to making a 17th UCL final

Former Barcelona forward, Thierry Henry, has offered a rebuttal to critics of Real Madrid following their draw with Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final.

The two European giants crossed paths at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday, April 30, for a spot in this year's final, reigniting their old rivalry in a tie steeped in history.

Real Madrid play out to 2-2 draw with Bayern

While Madrid were tipped as favourites in the tie, it was the Bundesliga giants that began the game on the front foot and should have gone ahead on a couple of occasions.

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Football

However, they were made to pay for their profligacy when Vinicius Junior pounced on a defence-splitting pass from Toni Kroos before coolly slotting home for the opening goal.

Bayern eventually found the net through a thunderous strike from Leroy Sane, followed by a penalty expertly scored by Harry Kane, per Sky Sports.

Just when the home side seemed poised for a first-leg advantage, Vinicius levelled the score with a well-taken penalty.

The German giants should have won the tie based on the evidence of play and statistics. Nonetheless, the scoreline is evenly poised at 2-2, with Los Blancos having a slight edge.

The reverse fixture is slated for next Wednesday at the fabled Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Henry silences Madrid critics with straightforward analysis

Providing his perspective on the game, Henry, who played for Madrid's archrivals, Barcelona, appeared to shush the critics of the runaway La Liga leaders.

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Football

Critics suggested the 14-time European champions often escaped ties by the skin of their teeth, as evidenced against RB Leipzig and Manchester City this season.

However, Henry argued that Madrid's ability to navigate tough games on European nights is ingrained in their DNA, setting them apart from others.

"When people talk about Real Madrid, they use a lot of ‘IF’. How Leipzig didn’t score more, how they had little off the ball vs City.

"It doesn’t matter. You think you have them, you don’t. That’s why they have 14 Champions League," he said as cited by Madrid Xtra.

Supercomputer backs Real Madrid to win UCL

Sports Brief also previously reported on an updated forecast from a supercomputer predicting Real Madrid as the frontrunner to win the UCL title this year.

Opta's advanced prediction model gives Los Blancos a 66.33% probability of advancing to the final and a 39.31% chance of a record-extending 15th title.