SUMMARY
- Real Madrid and Manchester City's game ended with a 3-3 draw.
- Kevin De Bruyne was unwell for the match.
Real Madrid and Manchester City took on each other in the first leg of the Quarter Finals of the UEFA Champions League 23/24. ‘Los Blancos’ hoisted the English side for the first leg inside a Santiago Bernabeu, whose roof was closed.
The game was an exciting affair, as both teams boasted a star-studded lineup. Manchester City and Real Madrid alike did not lack in enthusiasm and both sides worked tirelessly to go into the second leg with an advantage.
The Bernabeu roof will be CLOSED tonight 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/FQfQwxeY4L
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 9, 2024
The competitiveness expected from the two teams would soon be reflected on the pitch as the match saw the teams complete a comeback multiple times. At the end of the match, the scoreline of the enthralling match stood at 3-3.
Manchester City put on a show at the Santiago Bernabeu even without Kevin De Bruyne
It looked like from the onset that despite the tactical caginess of the game, a leg between two top teams was bound to be decided by individual performances. And this is exactly what happened during the game. Real Madrid and Manchester City rose to the occasion at the right time to salvage a draw for their team.
Manchester City were expected to see more of the ball and dominate throughout the game. However, Carlo Ancelotti and Real Madrid set their team perfectly to counter the English onslaught.
‘Los Blancos’ had just one aim during the game and that was to stretch the playing field as much as possible to make room for central targets such as Jude Bellingham to exploit. Moreover, they were also profited by the fact that Man City’s pacy right-back Kyle Walker was suspended for the game.
🏁 @RealMadrid 3-3 @ManCityES
⚽ 2′ Bernardo Silva
⚽ 12′ Rúben Dias (p. p.)
⚽ 14′ @RodrygoGoes
⚽ 66′ Foden
⚽ 71′ Gvardiol
⚽ 79′ @fedeevalverde#UCL pic.twitter.com/xsENlPtEFK— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) April 9, 2024
The first half was completely a Real Madrid show as the team looked to attack using a 4-2-3-1 formation which at times looked like a 4-4-2 as well. Defensively the club altered between a rigid 4-4-2 or even a 4-5-1 with everyone except Jude Bellingham behind the ball.
The club showed great character to come back from an early Bernardo Silva free-kick. The Portuguese had used his wits to score a long-range goal from an impossible angle. Eduardo Camavinga had started the party after his shot from distance was deflected off Ruben Dias.
Real Madrid then continued to stretch the game and kept their fullbacks-Dani Carval and Ferland Mendy pretty high which paid dividends just a few minutes later. Rodrygo had slotted home a calm and composed finish after Manchester City’s defense was caught sleeping on the counter. The Brazilian’s effort sealed a 2-1 lead for Real Madrid at half-time.
Stop that Phil Foden. pic.twitter.com/zkXFhVQtpg
— Stop That Football (@stopthatfooty) April 9, 2024
The reigning UCL Champions then had an inspired second half. They had to alter their game plan completely. In the first half, their motive was to work the ball through the wide areas to target their star striker Erling Haaland. However, the plan didn’t work as Antonio Rudiger managed to keep the Norwegian quiet for the night who is yet to score against Real Madrid in his career.
In the second half, Manchester City aimed to play according to their strengths. John Stones who initially started as a center back played a more advanced position to give his team an extra man in the midfield. Phil Foden and Mateo Kovacic swapped positions with the Englishman dropping deep to dictate the game nicely.
Phil Foden was instrumental in igniting Man City’s comeback in the second half. His curling effort into the left corner was good enough to beat Real Madrid’s GK Andriy Lunin, who looked very comfortable with his handling and distribution in the first half.
However, Foden’s goal on the night wasn’t the only one Manchester City with a banger goal in the first leg of the tie. Manchester City’s summer 23/24 signing Josko Gvardiol drilled a power shot from a distance which landed and rattled the Real Madrid net. This was the Croatian defender’s first goal in Man City colors.
The away team demonstrated great creativity on the pitch without their star player Kevin De Bruyne who was left on the bench. Pep Guardiola had clarified that the Belgian was unwell for the match.
Overall, Manchester City looked like the better team on the night. The English team will benefit from the fact that the team did not lose the game by a huge margin in the first leg. The 3-3 scoreline definitely puts ‘The Cityzens’ to qualify for the semi-finals instead of Real Madrid, just like in the 22/23 season of UCL.
(Credits-X)
Manchester City was smart enough to know that all Real Madrid was doing in the first half was waiting for the English team to commit a mistake to launch a counter. That is why City was forced to be a bit more patient and mature with the ball in the second half.
Real Madrid’s only saving grace in the 2nd half was the equalizer from Fede Valverde. Despite throwing in Joselu and Luka Modric to provide more directness to their attack, ‘Los Blancos’ failed to score the winner.
‘The Cityzens’ worked the ball tirelessly through Phil Foden, Rodri, and co. This resulted in Manchester City having a superior xG of (0.83) than Real Madrid (0.62).
⚪️⛔️ Tchouaméni will miss the return leg as he will be suspended. Yellow card after 40 seconds.
Bellingham, Camavinga and Vini Jr are also one yellow card away from suspension. pic.twitter.com/as9bwf4DdP
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 9, 2024
Very unsurprisingly, Manchester City had 62% possession in comparison to Real Madrid’s 32%. Manchester City was also very smart with their possession as they completed 373 passes in the opposition’s half out of their total 630 passes.
Real Madrid’s plan in the second half was derailed by the fact that players like Jude Bellingham, Camavinga, Vini Jr., and Aurelien Tchouameni were all one booking away from being suspended from the second leg. Despite that Tchouameni received a yellow card in the second half which rules him out of the away leg on April 18, 2024.
Real Madrid must be frustrated by the draw even with their mind games of closing the stadium roof, and a 70,000-plus crowd. The Spanish team desperately needed to finish the job in the first leg as Manchester City is a very ruthless team at their home.
Manchester City are unbeaten at home in the UCL since 2018, and the team emerged victorious 4-0 in the exact fixture against Real Madrid in the 22/23 season. It would be a mammoth task for Real Madrid to beat ‘The Cityzens’ without the defensive aid from Tchouameni.
