Real Madrid fought tooth and nail to down Manchester City and reach the Champions League semi-finals in dramatic fashion. Kevin De Bruyne’s close-range finish in the second half cancelled out Rodrygo’s early opener before the match went to penalties, with Antonio Rudiger striking the decisive blow from 12 yards.
Express Sport takes a look at the biggest talking points from tonight’s game at the Etihad Stadium…
Haaland struggles to make an impact
Erling Haaland was simply not at the races in attack, with the Norwegian forward having just seven touches in the opening 35 minutes without completing a single pass.
City’s prized asset, who is normally so prolific in front of goal, also missed two huge chances to level the scores before the break. He fired wide with one early header before striking the bar with another, while his night was summed up when he stumbled the ball out of play to end a promising attack in the second half.
It marked another high-profile match in which Haaland failed to do much of note, fuelling the debate over his ability as a footballer when his goals are taken out of the equation.
De Bruyne nearly saves Guardiola’s blushes
It looked as though Pep Guardiola was going to lose his tactical battle with Carlo Ancelotti before his Belgian maestro stepped up to hand City a well-deserved lifeline.
Real Madrid were always going to be on the back foot but they almost executed their plan to perfection, beating City’s press time and time again in the first half. Things changed after the break, though, as City piled on the pressure before finally getting their reward when De Bruyne fired home from close range.
On a night where too many of City’s juggernauts failed to deliver the goods, it was their dependable playmaker who came up trumps when it really mattered. However, unfortunately for him, the result ended up going the other way via the lottery of a penalty shoot-out.
Walker redeems himself in Vinicius battle
Kyle Walker was imperious against Vinicius in last year’s semi-final but initially found himself on the wrong end of the stick this time around.
Making his return to City’s starting line-up, the England defender looked rusty in the opening exchanges and was guilty of playing Vinicius onside in the build-up to Rodrygo’s opening goal. Never one to lie down and accept a poor display, Walker redeemed himself as the match went on by getting the better of Vinicius after City had drawn level.
However, it was ultimately too little, too late for a player who is always so impactful for City against the best teams in Europe.
Bellingham gives Southgate food for thought
There has been plenty of debate over who should be given the advanced role for England this summer at Euro 2024. Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham are the standout contenders but the latter’s performance in the engine room served as clear evidence that both players can coexist in different positions.
Bellingham did much of the dirty work for Real Madrid but was equally impressive going forward, pulling off an exquisite first touch in the build-up to Rodrygo’s goal. He is usually deployed as an advanced playmaker but was pivotal as a box-to-box midfielder against City, a position he excelled in while at Borussia Dortmund.
He might well be given the same role for England if Foden plays behind Harry Kane up top, with Gareth Southgate likely to be impressed with what he saw from Bellingham at the Etihad Stadium.
