In the most interesting Champions League match of the entire round of 16, Manchester City managed to defeat Real Madrid in Spain, and open the door of the next stage. The Citizens won 1-2, with all three goals coming in the latter 45 minutes, Isco for Real, Jesus, and De Bruyne for Manchester.
City’s win was even greater because of the fact that they trailed at one moment. However, Guardiola’s decision to put in Raheem Sterling instead of Bernardo Silva completely changed the course of the contest.
“To win in the Bernabéu is a great satisfaction. We aren’t used to such results, and this tells us we can go to any stadium and win,” said Pep Guardiola, who often did that with Barcelona.
His team opened the match a bit slower, but as time went by, the Citizens gradually improved their game and eventually hit when Real expected the least. The guests had the first big chance, after 21 minutes of play, but Thibaut Courtois stopped Gabriel Jesus’ strike.
Ederson stopped Karim Benzema’s header with his last atoms of power, and the guests had luck because Vinicius reacted poorly, not being able just to place the ball into the net. That was about it from the opening part of the game.
City came out fired-up for the second 45 minutes, and they started playing much better. However, one moment of carelessness provided Real a chance to net, which they did. Vinicius took the ball and sent it from the left flank to Isco, who routinely executed. It was an enormous boost of morale for the hosts, who started pressuring the rivals afterward but couldn’t beat Ederson.
Suddenly, things changed dramatically at Santiago Bernabeu. De Bruyne showed his creativity, drawing several players on him, before sending a cross to Jesus who was behind Ramos, manging to outjump him and sent the ball past Courtois. Real’s players protested, but there was no overturning the call.
Just four minutes later, Steerling stormed down in the box, pushing the ball before Dani Carvajal’s tackle. The referee pointed towards the penalty spot, and De Bruyne took the responsibility. The Belgian international was ice-cold, sending the ball into one corner and the Real’s goalkeeper in the other.
To make it even more tragic for the hosts, Sergio Ramos received a red card in the 86th minute, after bringing down Jesus as the last defender. This is a massive blow for the Madridians who are going to have one hell of a task at Etihad in three weeks’ time. Yet, their players are not pessimistic.
“If there’s any team capable of overcoming this deficit in the second leg it’s Real Madrid,” said midfielder Casemiro.
Meanwhile, Guardiola was more than happy, not only because they defeated one of the clubs he concerns as his nemesis, but also because his team showed morale and fighting mentality, coming back from an unpleasant situation.
“We created opportunities all night. Courtois played really really well. But for my experience in this competition, you don’t control 90 minutes in the Champions League.”
The rematch is at Etihad is on March 17.
