April 27, (THEWILL) – Manchester City won a seven-goal thriller 4-3 against Real Madrid in what was the opening leg of the pair’s Champions League semi-final clash on Tuesday night.
City were unstoppable in the attacking third and raced to a 2-0 lead. Despite their best attempts, Real managed to keep them at bay, and Los Blancos will face the Premier League champions at the Santiago Bernabeu next week with a one-goal deficit on aggregate after the sensational first leg.
City got the ball in the back of the net less than a minute after the UEFA anthem had been booed. The architect was Mahrez, who danced his way past a slew of white shirts before floating a cross for De Bruyne to slam in with his header.
It was the fastest goal ever scored in a Champions League semi-final, and it gave City a fantastic start against Real. The goal was also this season’s fastest goal in the UCL.
The City midfielder broke Joshua Kimmich’s previous record, which he set in the third minute of Bayern Munich’s May 2018 match against Real Madrid. But, that was just the beginning of things to come.
It did not take City long to make it 2-0. De Bruyne took the initiative this time, blasting a ball into the area, and Gabriel Jesus was given with a gilt-edged chance, which he finished to send his team into dreamland.
Real then survived another fright when Phil Foden’s cut-back was not converted, before advancing into the City box and seeing Vinicius Junior’s deflected shot fly well wide.
The hosts broke through the Los Blancos backline again just before the half-hour mark, but instead of squaring to an unmarked Phil Foden, Mahrez fired into the side-netting. Foden was slid through seconds later and hit a low shot that went just wide.
The action did not let up in the first half, with David Alaba evoking gasps from the Etihad crowd with a header that went just past the post. But, then, the inevitable followed as Benzema found the net.
Ferland Mendy’s cross gave Real’s talisman a lot to take on if he wanted to score, but the Frenchman seemed unfazed. He stunned the home crowd with an excellent finish, directing the ball into the bottom corner.
Within minutes after the restart, Mahrez hit the post and Foden’s goal-bound rebound shot was blocked on the line.
But it did not take long for City to make up for this missed opportunity. Soon after, Foden scored a rare headed goal, heading home Fernandinho’s cross at the back post.
Real, on the other hand, trimmed the gap to two points in a flash. A deft feint saw Vinicius Junior fool Fernandinho and left his senior comrade in the dust, speeding into the area and sliding the ball past Ederson.
Things calmed down for a few minutes before Aymeric Laporte came close to becoming an unlikely hero, meeting Oleksandr Zinchenko’s cross well enough to force Thibaut Courtois into a save.
Bernardo Silva restored City’s two-goal lead with a thundering left-footed shot that left Courtois rooted to the spot 16 minutes from time, capitalising on a well-played advantage from referee Istvan Kovacs.
There was still one more drama in the show, as interesting as it had been thus far. After Laporte handled the ball in the box, Los Blancos were awarded a penalty. Up stepped Benzema, who displayed steely nerves to execute a Panenka past Ederson in his own backyard, bringing the score to 4-3.
City’s critical matches continue this weekend when they travel to Leeds United in the Premier League, with an eye on the reverse fixture against Real and the sense of Liverpool breathing down their necks and waiting for them to slip up in the EPL.
On the same day, Real Madrid hosts Espanyol in La Liga in the hopes of securing the title.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
