Real Madrid made another of those incredible comebacks in Europe, but this time so did Manchester City. Then Madrid went and did it again. The last two European champions gave us another unforgettable night. Carlo Ancelotti had called for grit and personality and there was talent in abundance here, with six goals at the Santiago Bernabéu to set up a great second leg at the Etihad next week. Even if it were half as good as this, it would still be entertaining: it would also keep you on edge until the end.
Manchester City took the lead after 95 seconds through Bernardo Silva, and with two goals from Eduardo Camavinga and Rodrygo to trail 2-1 in 114 seconds, with two great strikes in the four minutes of the second half, Phil Foden and Josep Gvardiol managed the ball. He headed into the net to leave Pep Guardiola dancing on the touchline. And just when it looked like a comeback of their own was complete, Madrid did it again; Fede Valverde capped off a loud, tense and emotional night with a barrage that left everyone exhausted but more or less where they were.
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It had been a long night and City couldn’t have asked for a better start. They had not even been on the field for two minutes when they gave themselves the one-goal advantage.
Aurélien Tchouameni sent Jack Grealish to the ground as he raced into the Madrid area and was shown a yellow card just 38 seconds later, meaning he would miss the second leg. The free kick came from the left of the penalty area, 20 meters away. From there, facing a wall consisting solely of Vinícius Júnior and Andriy Lunin looking more at the cross, Silva saw an opportunity. Instead, he struck the ball hard and low towards the near post, and although the Ukrainian goalkeeper managed to step back and reach the ball, he was able to direct the ball into the top of the net.
Only 95 seconds had passed and City were in control, or so it was. Just three minutes later Erling Haaland entered the penalty area, turned and shot, only to be blocked by a combination of Lunin’s hand and post. Madrid were reeling, trying to figure out what had hit them; As ridiculous as it sounds, they felt like they were already in big trouble, especially this early: they couldn’t get to the ball, they watched their opponents play around them.
The times when Madrid are in the most trouble are usually when the opponents are; If there is a team that can turn everything around in an instant, if there is a stadium that can catch fire in an instant, it is the Bernabéu. Of course, City knows this very well, but knowing this is one thing, being able to stop it is another; and Madrid did so almost as soon as they took the lead.
Almost immediately? private. As is often the case, it came from nowhere. In fact, as if this were another act of fate, two deviations. Eduardo Camavinga carried the ball in from the left wing and shot from outside the penalty area. It was tame and going nowhere, but at least it was a reminder that Madrid was also playing, or so it seemed. However, the ball hit Rúben Dias, changed direction and passed Stefan Ortega into the net, where it exploded.
Then suddenly they took the lead. Lunin Grealish delivered a cross, rolled the ball to the left, Vinícius turned and released Rodrygo and raced towards the City area and his shot hit the heel of Manuel Akanji and Ortega watched helplessly as another ball rolled into his own goal. Just 114 seconds were enough to destroy City.
And they really seem out of it at this point, as if they were at fault by inevitability. Madrid may even have thought they should kill them. Haaland was lost somewhere in Toni Rüdiger’s orbit and there was slow uncertainty in Guardiola’s squad due to a lack of courage and options. A neat exchange between Grealish, Rodri and Foden ended with Tchouameni blocking, but otherwise there was no way through. There were also unusually long periods where they did not have possession of the ball at all.
On the other hand, every time Madrid went on the road, the field looked very wide. More often than not, these runs would begin with City giving the ball away, with the weak spot recognized and exploited. Even when Rodri and Silva had the ball. Akanji was having a hard time handling Rodrygo’s movement. The two robberies led to him and his Brazilian friend Vinícius escaping and making the saved shots. More followed early in the second half, with Jude Bellingham putting a shot wide and Vinícius putting aside another.
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However, this was changing. Rodri took the lead, Foden fired into the arms of Lunin and the Ukrainian, then pushed back Silva’s effort as City tried to come back. They slowly turned the screw. Madrid were sinking deeper, struggling to hold on. City were City again and a long period of possession saw John Stones and Silva work in a small area on the edge of the area for Foden, who turned and fired a superb shot into the top corner. Then, just three minutes later, Gvardiol fired a magnificent shot at goal.
Now Madrid seemed to be on the scene but you know what happens next. Substitute Luka Modric carried the ball forward and Vinícius’ beautiful diagonal cross was met by Valverde who volleyed into the bottom corner, which exploded once again. There were 10 minutes left in the match, but no more goals were scored. Not this week anyway. And to Manchester for more.