Real Madrid will play Bayern Munich in the semifinals in an attempt to win its 15th European championship. The triumph on Wednesday ought to act as a warning that Real Madrid is always a threat. Even when facing up against a squad as skilled as Guardiola’s City.
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan’s transformation of Man City in 2008 has undoubtedly placed the team among the elite of football. But Real Madrid is a much higher echelon in the hierarchy of the sport. After defeating the European champions and dashing Pep Guardiola’s dreams of winning a double-treble. Real Madrid served as a painful reminder of this.
Madrid win 4-3 : Champions League holders out after epic quarter-final
Madrid defeated 4-3 in penalties after Kevin De Bruyne cancelled out Rodrygo’s early goal. Real Madrid will now play Bayern Munich in the semifinals, while Manchester City will exit the Champions League at the quarterfinal round. The sides were level 4-4 overall after a 1-1 draw that evening. Antonio Rudiger converted the game-winning penalty kick after Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic’s efforts were saved, sending the 14-time champions to a 4-3 shootout victory.
Andriy Lunin, the Real Madrid goalkeeper, turned the tide in favor of the visitors by saving consecutive spot attempts from Silva and Kovacic. Lunin comfortably grabbed Silva’s attempt, which was straight down the middle, at chest height. Real Madrid gave it their best, and even though they lost, the defending champions were praised off the field by their supporters. However, their dreams of an extraordinary second consecutive treble are now dashed. In the last four, Madrid will take on Bayern Munich.
Counter-attacks by Madrid
Erling Haaland came dangerously close to responding quickly, but he missed his first attempt and then smacked the crossbar with his second. Silva was able to control the rebound, but he was unable to stop the ball from trickling painfully wide of the post. However, Madrid was posing a threat in the counteroffensive. Throughout, there was concern about Vinicius’s ability to play outside of the City press. On one occasion, a quick breakaway gave Dani Carvajal a free shot. Ruben Dias blocked the attempt with great skill.
The second half of the match was played entirely inside the Madrid half, with City pressing Real Madrid, and there were few and far between counterattacks. Guardiola turned to Jeremy Doku before it happened. Rudiger’s inability to clear the ball allowed De Bruyne to score the equalizer. Despite Luka Modric’s denial, Madrid was the team with the most joy after scoring penalties. Lunin held his ground despite Silva’s attempts to bring it down the middle. Kovacic’s work was spared. Ederson scored on his own after taking the fifth kick, but he was unable to stop Rudiger.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid highlights, UEFA Champions League
Real Madrid and Manchester City had a thrilling first leg in the Champions League quarterfinals. On Thursday, the Los Blancos will play their rematch at the Etihad. With three goals in the first fifteen minutes of play, the first half got off to a fast start. In the end, both teams shared the victory with a 3-3 score. Madrid’s three goals came from Rodrygo, Federico Valverde, and an own goal by Ruben Dias. City’s three goals came from world-class strikers Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, and Josko Gvardiol.
It will be interesting to watch if record UCL winners Real Madrid or reigning champion Man City prevail in the second leg, which is set up for a thrilling match. Beyond securing a semi-final spot, City’s achievement would also be to equal a club record of 42 games without a loss at home, a record that dates back to 1921. The team has been unbeaten in 27 games across all tournaments since December’s defeat to Aston Villa.
