Real Madrid face City and leave the tie for the second leg
The roof was closed. The atmosphere was that of a great night. A giant tifo covered the stands. The Real Madrid of the great Champions League nights. Many days without football in Spain and the fans were anxious for a match of these dimensions. Everything was ready, but something was missing. "The stadium is wonderful, I would only tell Florentino to take a little more care of the grass", with these words Pep Guardiola destroyed the new Santiago Bernabéu that he was so eager to visit. And he was right, the retractable grass and the space where it is collected, stored and cared for is not giving the expected results.
But there was a quarter-final to be played and these two old acquaintances were meeting in Madrid under a terrorist threat that forced a reinforced police presence in the vicinity of the Bernabéu. Inside, Bernardo Silva set up the magic in the second minute with a low shot from outside the box that caught Lunin off guard. Before that, Tchouaméni had already seen a yellow which means he will miss the next game. Two pieces of bad news in quick succession.
Camavinga scored the equaliser ten minutes later and restored calm to the stands. A low shot (from outside the area, again) that deflected off Ruben Dias and denied Ortega. Some thought they were in the midst of the comeback wave of two years ago, but it was only the 12th minute of a first leg. In the 14th minute Rodrygo beat Akanji to the back of Akanji's head and set himself up in the City box, he shot with intent and the legs of one and all put the ball in the net to make it 2-1.
Meanwhile, a battle was raging in the Real Madrid area. Silent, without applause or cards. Rüdiger was dancing with the ugly one, but that doesn't matter to him. Once again Haaland left the Bernabéu empty-handed. On top of a poor season (30 goals) came the German's uncanny ability to dry him out without resorting to foul play.
City cooled in the second half. A game of control saw Real Madrid fall back, but in the 66th Foden tired and fired a left-footed shot into Lunin's corner. A bitter draw because Los Blancos are not used to such precision from their opponents from outside the box. And even less so for the third goal to have such an impact. Gvardiol scored the goal of his life and turned the scoreboard upside down for an undeserved 2-3.
Brahim and Modric were Ancelotti's changes. Not so much to look for an equaliser, more to freshen up the midfield. Real Madrid's spirits dropped significantly. Bellingham and Vinicius took on the responsibility of not getting beaten at home and it was the Brazilian who provided the magic and a ball to Valverde who finished the ball into the net for the definitive 3-3. The Uruguayan has a good shot from distance. The gamble with Ancelotti years ago to encourage him has disappeared, now he is his most valuable soldier, the one who covers the back of the cracks and last night he was rewarded.
Everything remains for the return leg. Also the recovered players at City who will already be under Guardiola's orders. Aké and Walker are very important, but Real Madrid will be transformed in the Champions League.
