Champions League holders and treble winners Manchester City travelled to Spain to face 14 time winners Real Madrid for the second season running, in a scintillating quarter-final tie in the Champions League. City breezed past Copenhagen in the previous round, winning 3-1 both home and away. Real Madrid weren’t so convincing, only defeating German outfit RB Leipzig 2-1. But the La Liga leaders always remain a formidable force in the Champions League, and weren’t going to roll over for Pep Guardiola’s men.
With the quality on show, many expected a slower start to the game, especially considering Manchester City’s patient approach. The opening 15 minutes were in fact the complete opposite. Within 40 seconds, a penetrating run by Jack Grealish drew a cynical lunging foul from makeshift centre-back Aurelien Tchouameni, and City were handed an early free-kick opportunity. Defenders Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji joined the likes of Erling Haaland in the penalty area, and prepared for a cross from Bernardo Silva. The Portuguese magician ignored his team-mates, and fired a low strike into the bottom corner instead. It stunned the Madrid players and fans, and within two minutes they found themselves trailing. It looked to be the start of another Manchester City thrashing of Real Madrid, but the Spaniards stayed in the game and played their way into proceedings.
Their professional response was rewarded just ten minutes later, when a hopeful long-range effort by Eduardo Camavinga cannoned off of the thigh of Dias into the back of the net. Although fortunate, it was a deserved equaliser. Madrid’s fortune and City’s despair continued minutes later, when Rodrygo latched on to an excellent Vinicius Jr through ball. The Brazilian ran from his own half to break into the Manchester City penalty area, and his deflected effort rolled agonisingly past Ortega’s outstretched leg. It was City’s turn to be stunned, and a bemused Pep Guardiola encapsulated a miraculous opening 15 minutes of Champions League football. The madness of the first quarter wasn’t replicated for the rest of the half, but Manchester City looked like a team trying to prove something. The Champions went into half-time a goal down, but the second half would be a different story.
In the 66th minute, City’s arguably best player this season, Phil Foden, continued his scintillating form with a rocket fired into the top corner. Similar to his rocket against Manchester United earlier on in the season, Foden levelled proceedings. The Champions League is the highest quality competition in the world, and this game just proved it. Just 5 minutes after Foden’s strike, summer signing Josko Gvardiol followed suit. Despite not scoring for Manchester City before, the left-back fired a wicked whipped finish into the far corner past Andriy Lunin. City were in front again in the tie, and the momentum was wholly with the English team. Real Madrid looked like a beaten team who had run out of ideas, and Manchester City began to slow down the game in their typical style. Their slow build-up and ball retention frustrated Real Madrid and their fans, who couldn’t get near the ball. In a game which had already seen goals of the highest quality, it was almost no surprise when another went in just ten minutes from time. The only surprise was who the goal came for. A hopeful floated cross by Vinicius Jr was met with force by Federico Valverde, who volleyed a rocket past Ortega. The Uruguayan watched the ball come down all the way on to his boot, and the game was level once more.
Valverde Celebrates After Levelling The Tie
An excellent game of football came to a close, and in the end a 3-3 draw seemed fair for both sides. For Real Madrid, it’s back to La Liga action, as they travel to Real Mallorca in their hunt for another title. For Manchester City, it’s a home tie against relegation-threatened Luton Town.