The just concluded quarter-final of the Champions League will go down in history as one of the most exciting we’ve seen in the competition. The fixtures were big and the matches had everything; beautiful goals, dribbles, screamers, comebacks, and it was laden with emotion but the fixture that stole the show was Real Madrid vs Man City. Both legs of this fixture did not disappoint and had fans and supporters at the edge of their seats until the last minute.
The first leg of the quarterfinals didn’t decide anything as both matches ended in a draw. Real Madrid vs Manchester City ended in a 3-3 draw while Arsenal vs Bayern Munich ended in a 2-2 draw. The second leg on the other hand saw the exit of the two Premier League teams in the competition; Man City and Arsenal.
The Real Madrid vs Man City match was charged with emotion for the fans and supporters of both clubs. Man City knocked out Real Madrid in last season’s semi-final stage of the competition on the way to their first Champions League title in history. It was very emotional for Man City fans because the season before that, they were knocked out of the Champions League semi-finals by Real Madrid in dramatic fashion even while they were leading from the first leg of the competition. Very late goals from Rodrygo pushed the match to extra time and Benzema scored the winner that sent Real Madrid to the 2021/2022 Champions League final, knocking out Manchester City.
In the first leg at the Bernabeu, Real Madrid closed the roof and their fans in white showed massive support for the team in an attempt to intimidate the Man City team psychologically. Still, it took only two minutes for Man City to take the lead thanks to a cheeky free kick from Bernardo Silva. Madrid equalized in the 12th minute when Ruben Dias deflected Camavinga’s shot into his own net. Two minutes later, Los Blancos took the lead as Rodrygo put the ball through the legs of Man City defender Akanji and goalkeeper Otega Moreno into the back of the net. They held the lead until the 66th minute when Phil Foden curled a beautiful ball past Andriy Lunin from the edge of the box into the Real Madrid net. Man City then took the lead after Gvardiol launched a rocket straight into the Madrid net from outside the box. They wouldn’t hold the lead for long though as just eight minutes later, Fede Valverde hit an insane volley past Otega Moreno to level with City. The match ended in a draw between the two football powerhouses demonstrating how evenly matched and balanced both sides have been.
The second leg of the match-up saw Madrid knock out City on penalties at the Etihad. Before the match, Madrid had never won a game at the Etihad. Los Blancos took an early lead as Rodrygo scored in the 12th minute of the game. Real Madrid then dug in defensively to try and keep City at bay but the Sky Blues would not be deterred. They attacked Madrid relentlessly and finally got a reward for their hard work in the 76th minute. A ball from Jeremy Doku found its way to De Bruyne’s feet right in front of the Real Madrid goal and the Belgian stuck it in the back of the net to bring Man City level. Neither side could score anymore and the match went to penalties which Manchester City lost 3-4. Andriy Lunin saved two penalties to make sure his side progressed to the Semi-final.
The match pitted the best team in the Premier League against the best team in La Liga, arguably the toughest league in the world and it delivered massively. The sides were evenly matched in the first leg and in the second leg, Man City shone in attack while Real Madrid put in a defensive masterclass to keep them out. It was a battle of two different football philosophies; attacking football vs defensive football and defensive football won that night.
For the second time in the past three seasons, Real Madrid had knocked out the current holders of the Champions League trophy and ended Manchester City’s dreams of a double treble. They are now set to face Bayern Munich in the semifinals as they charge for their 15th Champions League title. With a Bayern team that isn’t exactly firing on all cylinders, what do you think are Real Madrid’s chances of reaching the Champions League finals?