The first leg of the quarterfinal between Real Madrid and Manchester City saw a six-goal thriller at Santiago Bernabeu. The two teams showed their attacking prowess and fighting spirit in the first leg, but the match ended in a 3-3 tie in the end.
As a result, the second leg is now very crucial for Real Madrid and Manchester City. Man City will host the second leg at Etihad Stadium. Can they eliminate Real Madrid and advance to the semifinal?
Match Report
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti set up the team formation with 4-4-2, where Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo led the attack for the Los Blancos. The manager played his team with a diamond-shaped midfield, built with Camavinga, Tony Kroos, Jude Bellingham, and Federico Valverde.
Meanwhile, City boss Pep Guardiola played his team in a 4-2-3-1 formation, leaving Erling Haaland in front on the back of Foden, Grealish, and Bernardo Silva.
The match started with Manchester City shocking the entire Santiago Bernabeu. They took the lead in just two minutes when Bernardo Silva scored an unbelievable goal from a long-distance free kick. But Real Madrid showed a great fighting spirit and didn’t take much time to find the equalizer.
In the 12th minute, Eduardo Camavinga took a powerful shot outside from the box, which found the back of the net after deflecting on Ruben Dias. This goal was a massive boost for the home team, leading them to score another within a few minutes. Following the equalizer, Real Madrid took the lead within two minutes as Rodrygo beat Man City’s two defenders to find the net in the 14th minute.
Real Madrid, however, went to the break with a 2-1 lead as Manchester City couldn’t score more in the first half.
But the Citizens didn’t waste much time in the second half. It was Phil Foden who brought Man City back into the game with his fantastic goal. His brilliant shot outside from the box found the left corner of the net in the 66th minute.
Moreover, Man City got the lead again when defender Josko Gvardiol scored his first-ever Champions League goal for Man City within a few minutes. It seemed the Blues would be the winner at Santiago Bernabeu, but the drama was not over yet.
Conceding two quick goals, Real Madrid reacted brilliantly and created tremendous pressure. Finally, the Los Blancos found the leveler when Federico Valverde scored a fantastic goal with a volley in the 80th minute. The two sides, however, couldn’t score more in the remaining minutes. As a result, the match ended in a 3-3 draw at Santiago Bernabeu.
