Champions League thriller: Man City tops Real Madrid 4-3 in first le
By Jacob Davies
City edges Madrid in thrilling first leg of Champions League semifinals
Manchester City emerged from their first-leg contest against Real Madrid with a 4-3 lead.
The Manchester side wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard as Kevin De Bruyne headed home Riyad Mahrez’s cross in the second minute of the game.
Real Madrid were visibly rattled by this early goal and looked shaky in the opening 10 minutes, struggling to clear their lines amidst a City attacking onslaught.
With a raucous home crowd cheering City on to what could be a second consecutive Champions League final, Real’s nerves were laid bare as Pep’s men found their stride.
It wasn’t long before Gabriel Jesus doubled the lead for Manchester City, De Bruyne this time providing the assist for the Brazilian to latch on to. De Bruyne cut inside from the left wing before curling a low ball into the box, which Jesus controlled before spinning off his defender and slotting cooly past Courtois into the bottom corner.
Courtois’ frustration was clear to see and it resulted in miscommunication with his defenders minutes later, with the Belgian forced into saving a wayward back-pass from his teammate and giving away a corner in the process. Los Blancos looked in danger of being routed if they didn’t reorganize and regain their focus.
Fortunately for the LaLiga side, Karim Benzema is having a brilliant season and was on hand to carry his team back in to the game with a goal shortly after the half hour mark. Having steadied the ship following a number of near-misses from a rampant City attack, Real Madrid came forward with intent, Mendy lifting the ball into the box for Benzema to volley home. It was just what the away side needed and it stunned City into hesitation, halting their attack and forcing them into more cautious play. The half fizzled out and the hosts went in to the break 2-1 up, surely ruing their numerous missed chances at the peak of their momentum.
Pep Guardiola’s side burst back in to attacking action at the start of the second half, and once again profited from an early goal to boost their confidence. This time it was Phil Foden on the receiving end of a cross delivered by Fernandinho after dribbling in from deep. Foden leapt to head in City’s third of the game from close range, putting the home side 3-1 up.
Los Blancos responded almost immediately by flying up the other end and scoring a goal of their own. Fernandinho was caught out by Vinicius Jr. and the young Brazilian managed to slip in behind the defensive line and finish with precision into the bottom corner to bring the scoreline to 3-2.
The hosts knew they couldn’t afford to step off the gas so they continued to prioritize attacking over sitting back. Their strategy paid off with 15 minutes remaining when Bernardo Silva scored a spectacular goal from the edge of the area. The Portuguese player arrowed a beautiful shot into the top corner to put City 4-2 up in what would ultimately prove to be the winning goal. City fans were in delirium at the prospect of defeating the European giants to progress to the final.
Madrid were thrown a lifeline however thanks to the dogged efforts of their talisman Karim Benzema. The striker won a penalty after challenging Aymeric Laporte in the air, with the City defender catching the ball on his misplaced arm in the process. With just eight minutes left in the first leg, Benzema scored an outrageous Panenka goal to narrow the deficit to one and give his side hope going into the second leg at the Bernabeu. The goal also raised Benzema’s Champions League tally to 14, this season’s top goalscorer.
The seven-goal thriller ended 4-3 to Manchester City, but after this rollercoaster of a match, it’s clear anything could happen in the second leg in Spain. With Real Madrid within touching distance and Benzema in unbelievable form, Pep may rue his side’s missed chances during their domination of the first half. The tie will be decided in the second leg next Tuesday.
dark. Next. Where might Ronaldo play next?
Regardless of the result, fans and players alike will surely remember this game as one of the most spectacular Champions League matches of the season. Here’s hoping that the sequel can live up to the hype!