Summary:
- Despite Manchester City’s attempt to provoke, Real Madrid’s Champions League pedigree shone through as they pulled off a dramatic 3-2 comeback win in the first leg of their last-16 tie.
- A disappointed Pep Guardiola admitted his team lacked stability this season.
- The City boss lamented the repeated bad decisions that have cost the squad in key moments.
Manchester City’s fans set the stage with a bold gesture, unveiling a massive banner that mocked Real Madrid and Vinicius Junior for their outrage over Rodri’s Ballon d’Or victory last year.
“Stop Crying Your Heart Out” read the message, a nod to the famous Oasis song, alongside an image of Rodri proudly kissing the coveted trophy, one that Real Madrid had refused to acknowledge by boycotting the ceremony in protest.
But provoking a club with Real Madrid’s Champions League pedigree is always a high-risk strategy.
By full-time, City and its fans were left stunned as Real orchestrated yet another classic comeback to seize a 3-2 first-leg lead in this crucial tie for a place in the last 16.
City Hesitated and Real Madrid Dove In
City’s vulnerabilities were brutally exposed. With just minutes remaining, they surrendered a 2-1 lead as Carlo Ancelotti’s experienced warriors turned the match on its head in clinical fashion.
While City hesitated, Madrid pounced, demonstrating once more why they are the kings of this tournament.
Pep Guardiola’s team has shown a concerning tendency to collapse late in games.
This was the fifth time this season they had thrown away a lead, and the statistics paint an ominous picture. City have now conceded eight goals in the final 16 minutes of their last five Champions League matches, the worst record in the competition.
Rodri, sidelined with a knee injury, could only watch from the stands, a presence on that pre-match banner but sorely missed on the pitch.
His absence in midfield was obvious as City once again looked like it was crumbling in the closing moments.
Jude Bellingham’s stoppage-time winner was almost inevitable. As Ederson found himself stranded after Vinicius Jr.’s lob, Bellingham capitalized with a clinical finish, sealing Real’s victory.
For Vinicius, it was sweet vindication. He basked in the celebrations, the perfect answer to City’s taunts.
Real Madrid simply refused to be beaten until the final whistle. Although City led for most of the contest, the only lead that mattered belonged to Real in the dying seconds.
Guardiola: “Bad Decisions, That’s All. I Take It.”
A visibly frustrated Guardiola admitted:
Many times it happens this season. I know the quality of Real Madrid… It happens many times this season. Bad decisions, that’s all. I take it.
The 54-year-old added they are “just not stable enough,” reminiscing of the “extraordinary team” in the past that turned into “a machine every three days” and recognizing this has not been the case now.
“The accountability belongs to all of us, not just the players.”, he added, emphasizing that while it would be “easy” for him to put the blame on a particular player, such an approach would be “ridiculous.”
“It is me first and the players as well.”, he further commented, acknowledging that, in the three previous games they played against Madrid at home, they were “much, much better than them.”
Today was tight and in certain times they had chances and Ederson was our best player
With the second leg looming, City’s challenge is clear: find a way to respond or risk confirming that this season marks the end of an era.
Can City grind out a result at the Bernabéu Stadium or will they crash out of the Champions League? Get the latest odds from the Best Non UK Betting Sites