Players from both teams were nervous. But City took the initiative by pressing high. They forced Madrid’s defense to make errors. City got their first goal when Jesus stole the ball from Varane in Madrid’s penalty box. A simple pass to Sterling and City were up by a goal.
After the goal, City relaxed. Real Madrid were determined to respond and got more time on the ball. They were able to get to Benzema who made some shots but they were saved by Ederson. Eventually, Madrid were able to equalize. Madrid worked the ball to the right and Rodrygo crossed the ball to Benzema who finished excellently. The 1st half ended even.
In the second half, City were clearly the better team. They had multiple opportunities to extend their lead through counter-attacking. But a combination of bad finishing and desperate defending prevented them from extending their lead. Sterling was at fault. He missed several chances to score.
However, on the 68th minute, Jesus capitalized on an error made by Varane and scored the winning goal. After the goal, City simply dominated the game. Through excellent counter-pressing, they prevented Real Madrid from scoring. Real Madrid had ZERO shots on target after City’s second goal.
- Varane’s errors gifted City their goals. He is normally an excellent defender but perhaps he missed Ramos’s presence. Real Madrid were without Ramos last year too when they were eliminated by Ajax. Ramos’s leadership is crucial to this team and they are organized around him.
- Despite being visibly nervous, City were excellent. They were clearly the better team and deserve to advance. However, Pep may want to make some changes to this team. Their inability to capitalize on their counter attacks could cost them in the future. Perhaps they should bring in Mahrez rather than Sterling and Bernardo Silva over Phil Foden.
written by: Mike
