LdC: Man City 1-2 Real (finished)

Faced with this long and major part of the match, Manchester City lost to Real Madrid (1-2), this time in the round of 16 of the Champions League. A result which propels the White House, already winner in the first leg (3-0), on the next tour.

From the outset, the Citizens tried to enthrall the meeting, with a very restless Document on the left and a Cherki quickly found between the lines. Courtois, however, kept the Merengue afloat by multiplying the parades in front of the French playmaker, then against Rodri and Haaland. But Real, long accused, ended up striking in a transition. Launched on the edge of offside, Vinicius Junior first found himself hitting the post before seeing his second attempt pushed back with his arm by Bernardo Silva on his line. After the intervention of the VAR, Mr. Turpin accepted a penalty and sent off the Portuguese. The Brazilian fails to transform the sanction and repel the Etihad (0-1, 22nd).

This scenario can certainly be described as a summer for City, but Pep Guardiola’s men continue to have inferior numbers. Carried by an untenable Doku, the English again forced Courtois to make several high-class saves, while Vinicius Junior missed the break on two poorly negotiated counterattacks. The real, more serene in the gesture after the red, thought it had its advantage, especially as Brahim Diaz made the Mancunian defense shiver after a festival on the surface. But just before the break, Doku again made the difference on his side before serving Haaland, an opportunist in front of goal to equalize and maintain a slight suspense before the second half (1-1, 41st).

Behind the locker room, the Citizens tried to reignite the suspense despite their numerical inferiority. Haaland started quickly Lunin, after a break at Courtois, the documentary thought to completely restart the meeting before being taken back for an offside position when concluding its face-to-face. Very active between the lines, Cherki tried to bring creativity to the Mancunian offensives, while Aït Nouri also saw his goal canceled for offside after a cross from the left. The city dominated the territory and chained situations together, but lacked precision in the last gesture.

Opposite, the real device more the tempo and waited for its moment to hurt in transition. Donnarumma had to work on a powerful header from Tchouaméni at the near post, before seeing Mbappé return for the last twenty minutes of the match. The Frenchman tried to bring speed into the depths, while Vinicius Junior continued to threaten with every throw. In added time, Auriverde scored for the first time on a goal refused for offside… before offering themselves a double for good on a caviar from Tchouaméni (1-2, 90th + 3). A truly ruthless man who will find himself in the quarter-finals.