Author – Amrit Santlani
Real Madrid drew 1-1 with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final. These clubs also met in the semi-finals last season. In Manchester, the hosts won – 4:3. In Madrid, City scored in the 73rd minute, but in the 90th and 90th minutes, Rodrigo scored twice for Real. And in extra time, Benzema scored from the penalty spot to take Madrid to the final (which they won to take the trophy).
City started well and dominated possession at the start of the game, testing Thibaut Courtois from distance, before Madrid opened the scoring in the 36th minute through Brazilian striker Vinicius, who is on a goal scoring streak.
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The goal against Man City was the 22-year-old’s 23rd goal this season for the La Liga giants, and he has also contributed a further 21 assists in 51 games in all competitions. Vinicius also equaled former Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo’s record, as his goal against Guardiola’s side in the first leg of the semi-final was his 11th goal contribution in consecutive games in the continental phase.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side gradually got into the game after taking the lead, but were beaten thanks to a wonderful goal from De Bruyne. The Belgian scored a stunning goal that Courtois failed to save and, after a flurry of chances for each side, the match ended in a draw.
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Shortly after kick-off, De Bruyne tested his team-mate early on with a shot from the edge of the box that Courtois saved with ease. Rodrigo was the next player to keep the goalkeeper on his toes, with a shot from outside the area that the madridista keeper saved. It was a night to forget for Erling Haaland, who limited himself to two weak shots, either side of the goal. The Norwegian only managed to get 21 touches on the ball all evening, fewer than his teammate Ederson (29).
At the other end of the pitch, a rare slip by the City defense allowed Vinicius to deliver a cross, which was well cleared by Ruben Dias before the ball reached Karim Benzema, who had an empty net to aim at. The Brazilian striker then scored with a stunning shot from outside the area, receiving a pass from Eduardo Camavinga, who ran from inside his own half, into the opposition half. Luka Modric’s deft flick released the French left-back and he couldn’t be stopped.
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City gave the hosts a big scare shortly after the restart when Bernardo Silva released De Bruyne, who managed to hit Courtois’ hands from an acute angle. Antonio Rudiger was on hand to clear the rebound. The Belgian midfielder, however, wasn’t beaten at his next attempt, with a first-time shot after Ilkay Gundogan’s clearance, and City equalized.
However, after the end of the match, several images circulating on social media showed that, on the visitors’ goal, the ball was out of play, before Silva continued playing.
Ederson made a brilliant save, denying Benzema’s header from a Madrid free-kick, before the Brazilian goalkeeper saved his team once again. The former Benfica goalkeeper saved Aurelien Tchouameni’s long-range shot with one hand. With the 1-1 draw, the second leg of the semi-final will be played like a cup final, with the winner getting a place in the summit clash in Istanbul against one of the big Milan teams.