Champions: goals and display, City - Real Madrid ends 4-3

Ethiad Stadium as a carousel of goals, which at the whistle of the last treble, at the end of a match generous of talent and emotions, intensity and stellar rhythm, deservedly rewards the city: but the poker carved out to Real Madrid has never been tamed, not enough for the citizens to mortgage the second Champions League final on straight. So the final verdict of this great match, which ended in Manchester 4-3 for the hosts, was postponed in a week at the Bernabéu.record

The start of the Citizens match is the adrenaline rush that stuns Real Madrid. While Pep Guardiola on the sidelines warmly embraces his friend Carlo Ancelotti, on the field his players feel angry as if they are possessed. And not even two minutes had passed until they were already ahead. A sign to the right of Riyad Mahrez, who cut Real Madrid’s defense unimpeded, after a precise cross from Kevin De Bruyne for his fifteenth goal this season, which earned him the fastest goal ever in the Champions League semi-final (73 seconds). . Defenseless and stunned, Real can’t respond, City raging relentlessly. This time excitement develops on the left, brilliance of Phil Foden liberates Kevin De Bruyne, who goes down: David Alaba remains in liberation, Gabriel Jesus exploits it for a double. Real never conceded two goals in the first 11 minutes of a Champions League match.

Only then – two goals – the hosts catch their breath, but they still represent the best chances. Secondly, in quick succession, like their amazing starts: but Riyad Mahrez first and then Foden are very selfish because they are imprecise. After pardoning the undeserved, Real Madrid need only a few minutes to turn the stalemate of the confrontation. To play the charge can only be Karim Benzema, in the 600th match in the Meringue shirt. In half an hour the Frenchman runs to Alaba who has kicked outside. Then with a flying deflection, on Ferland Mendy’s cross, Benzema scored the 16th goal in his last 12 games with Real Madrid.

City feel the blow and immediately risk a thrilling equaliser: Diagonal Rodrygo, Ederson saves himself in the corner. The deadlock in the match did not change in the second half, which opened with a Mahrez column: on a rebound from Foden, Providence Danny Carvajal saves the empty nets. The scenario is the same: a real caution hidden in his trenches, the master of the city in the field with his urgent formulation. Due, after 7′, the triple comes: cross from the left by Fernandinho, Inzocata by Foden. But when the challenge finally seems lopsided on the part of the English, here’s Real’s new claw: ball and chain for the entire city half, Vinicius Jr. is unmistakable for Ederson. The life of a thousand for Real, who suffers from Bernardo Silva’s goal, but is shortened by a penalty kick, with Benzema, the usual, in 41st place this wonderful season. And so ends 4-3 between feelings and missed opportunities, especially by City: everyone has been postponed to May 4 in Madrid for the Champions League final qualification speech.