UCL/ Semi finals: Real Madrid and Man City neutralized each other, a tie game after 1st leg

Real Madrid and Manchester City played a high-quality first leg of their Champions League semifinal at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Vinicius Junior and Kevin De Bruyne both scored superb strikes in the first and second halves, respectively.

In a rematch of last season’s intense last-four match, defending champions Madrid held off City’s dominance in the first half. However, Vinicius sealed a lightning-fast counter-attack with an unstoppable long-range strike in the 36th minute.

However, midway through the second half, the visitors replied with an outstanding strike of their own to level the score. Just as Madrid seemed to be in control and threatening to extend their lead, Kevin De Bruyne beat Thibaut Courtois with a shot from outside the box to bring the tie level.

The match ended in a 1-1 draw, leaving both teams to battle it out again in the second leg next Wednesday for a chance to advance to the final against either AC Milan or Inter Milan.

Given the dramatic nature of last year’s semifinal, where Madrid trailed by two goals going into the 90th minute of the second leg at the Bernabeu but managed to come back and win in extra time, Pep Guardiola’s side will likely be more satisfied with the result and will look forward to the second leg in Manchester with the score level.

This will be particularly accurate because Madrid took charge of the game in the second half and looked poised to gain a significant advantage in the tie.

 However, Madrid, who have won the competition a record 14 times, have demonstrated time and again in recent years that they cannot be counted out.

Despite failing to win at City’s home in their previous four visits, they are unlikely to be concerned about the challenge that awaits them at the Etihad Stadium in eight days.

«It was a shame that we conceded that goal», Madrid midfielder Luka Modric said. «I think we deserved more. They had more possession but didn’t create a lot of chances. It’s still 50-50 and we will go into the second match with confidence. »

For a considerable part of Tuesday’s game, it seemed like another typical Champions League triumph for Madrid.

Manchester City took charge of the match right from the start, controlling the possession and pressuring the hosts relentlessly. However, Madrid’s defensive strategy, which included Antonio Rudiger filling in for the suspended Eder Militao, successfully limited City’s opportunities to half chances.

Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri attempted long-range shots that tested Courtois, but despite his record-breaking Premier League goal-scoring record, Erling Haaland couldn’t capitalize on his limited chances.

Then, in the first half, Madrid took the lead with their only shot of the period. Eduardo Camavinga, who was playing as a left-back despite being unfamiliar with the role, created the goal by driving forward from deep inside his own half. He passed the ball inside to Vinicius, who then took it onto his right foot and blasted an unstoppable shot from nearly 30 yards past Ederson.

Vinicius Junior continued his impressive form by scoring the only goal of the first half to give Real Madrid the lead against Manchester City in their Champions League semi-final. This was just three days after his crucial contributions in Madrid’s Copa del Rey final win over Osasuna.

Despite City dominating possession in the first half, they were unable to convert their chances into goals. Madrid almost doubled their lead just after half-time with a shot from Karim Benzema that went just over the bar. City also had an ambitious penalty appeal for handball turned down.

In the 67th minute, Rodri intercepted a pass from Camavinga and Gundogan set up Kevin De Bruyne, who scored a sensational goal to level the game. However, Madrid had a chance to take the lead once again but Ederson produced an outstanding save to deny Benzema’s header.

The game ended 1-1, leaving everything to play for in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium. Manchester City extended their unbeaten run to 21 games in all competitions.

Yannick H.

Source: espn.com