It was another brave call from Real's coach, who now stands on the brink of history himself, with Carlo Ancelotti and Bob Paisley the only other managers to have ever won Europe's premier competition three times.
Liverpool or Roma will certainly offer a stern test in Kiev later this month but, having now seen off Bayern, the German champions, Paris Saint-Germain, the French champions, and Juventus, who sit top of Serie A, the feeling is that a 13th European success is now Real's to lose.
"It was a crazy match," Zidane said. "We struggled in the beginning, conceding early and not being able to play our game. But it was a lot better in the second half. We pressed up front and got the second goal."
The German club, who have been knocked out in the Champions League semifinals in four of the last five seasons, had several good chances in the final minutes but were unable to capitalise.
"We were the best team in both games but we were not able to reach the final," Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes said.
"We dominated. They should thank [goalkeeper Keylor] Navas for his performance, especially toward the end of the match.
"It was tough to concede that goal so early in the second half," Heynckes said. "It was a gift."
