There is a joke repeated by the English footballing icon Gary Lineker: "Football is simple. 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes, and at the end, the Germans always win." For the Bundesliga's Bayern Munich however, the joke doesn't make any sense. After 90 minutes of UEFA Champions League football, it always seems to be the Spanish who win.

3-0 vs. Anderlecht, 3-0 vs. Celtic and 3-1 vs. Paris Saint-Germain all at home in the group stage; 5-0 vs. Besiktas and a 0-0 with Sevilla following a 2-1 victory away followed at home in the Round of 16 and the quarterfinals before a 2-1 loss in the first semifinal against Real Madrid. If it seems familiar, that's because Bayern was also unbeaten at home in the 2016-17 Champions League until they faced Real Madrid in the quarterfinals, and in the two prior seasons, they were knocked out of the tournament by Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.

The Bernabeu is a formidable place regardless if you are the minnows of Deportivo or the icons of Barcelona, but the boys from Bavaria must have felt an extra layer of pressure during their deciding second leg. Are they cursed? Are they unlucky? Even worse, are they just not good enough anymore? (Meanwhile, Juventus fans still ask: Do the referees fiddle it for Ronaldo every time?)

Based on last night's game, it seems like the least likely option is the right one: Bayern Munich are cursed. If their home leg felt like an even game, where the better team on that night would win, the away felt like an onslaught and Joshua Kimmich's goal in only the third minute felt like a sign of things to come.  Bayern was energized and focused, and even a quick response from Karim Benzema in the eleventh didn't feel like enough, although though it kept Real in the lead.

The crowd was nervous. Real were scared – scared enough to make Juventus fans think they are onto something, as the referees seemed to see none of the desperate fouls or dives, just as Horatio Nelson saw no ships – and Bayern were on the ascendancy. 

And then, thirty seconds into the second half, the curse struck.  A poorly thought out backpass from Corentin Tolisso sent second string keeper Sven "The Wall" Ulreich fumbling. He could only watch in horror as Benzema (again) came and knocked the ball in for an easy 2-1.

Bayern kept the pressure high, but it seemed like team legend Franz Beckenbauer's belief that the team has a "complex" about Real, a realization the team manager, Jupp Heynckes denied earlier the week, turned out to be right. Across 120 minutes, the German side had almost 40 shots on goal, and nearly all ended up being poorly finished or blasted into a defensive wall of Real Madrid players. James Rodriguez' goal, which made it 2-2 on the night and 4-3 on aggregate, was celebrated with more than a hint of relief.

Manager Zinedine Zidane has talked about how the team wins through suffering and the way they have managed to drag out even the most certain of victories – the 3-0 against Juventus felt like it could crumble at any time – proves that. At this point, having beaten the champions of France, the champions of Italy and now the champions of Germany on their way to the France, it's impossible to say Real Madrid aren't worthy of their place in the final, yet it's difficult to commend the team on much besides for their spirit. But at this stage in the tournament, maybe that's all they need.

The UEFA Champions League final will take place on May 26, 2018. The game to decide if Liverpool or Roma meet Real Madrid in Kiev takes place tonight.