2023-05-17 23:36:41
Bernardo Silva decisive, Eder Militao at fault. AFP Panoramic
TOPS/FLOPS – Manchester City beat Real Madrid (4-0) in the semi-final second leg of the Champions League, to reach the final of the competition. Discover our Tops and our Flops.
TOPS
Bernardo Silva guide City
Author of a double and the first two goals for his team, Bernardo Silva was the conductor of the impressive offensive copy of Manchester City. The Portuguese was present in the finishing and the creation. On the first achievement, he makes a perfect markdown in the holes of the Madrid defense to find himself in a mattress on the service of Kevin De Bruyne (23rd). On his second achievement, he followed the direction of the game perfectly to intelligently place a header in the skylight, recovering a ball badly repelled by the Real defense after the stoppage of Thibaut Courtois. The former Monegasque ends the meeting with 81 balls touched, 90% of successful passes and six duels won. He also framed all his attempts.
The Patte Guardiola
It is customary to say that Pep Guardiola’s teams play very good football, producing a game that is resolutely attacking. But tonight, his Manchester City just flirted with perfection, making probably one of the best attacking copies in the history of the semi-finals of the Champions League, especially against holders Real Madrid of Carlo Ancelotti. The Catalan tactician totally won his tactical battle against the Italian. If Bernardo Silva is the symbol of this success, it is important to highlight the performances of Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish who distilled many very good balls, almost never losing the leather and chaining the offerings quickly and clean combinations. At the break, the Citizens had more than 80% possession, with the installation of very high pressing in the Madrid area.
Read alsoChampions League: Manchester City humiliates Real Madrid and joins Inter Milan in the final
FLOPS
Unrecognizable Meringues
If Manchester City was very good, the level displayed by Real Madrid remains unworthy of a Champions League semi-final, especially for such a legendary club which has won this competition 14 times and was defending champion. After 20 minutes, Real Madrid had still not entered Manchester City’s penalty area. And Thibaut Courtois was the player who had touched the most balls (17 times). Worse still, Carlo Ancelotti’s players had managed just 17 assists more than 20 minutes after kick-off. At the break, they had attempted only one strike, signed Toni Kroos which crashed on Ederson’s bar. This Wednesday evening, the Casa Blanca seemed passive, lacking a solution or even inspiration. They never really entered the match and never really tried to react.
A strangely aging environment
For several seasons, Toni Kroos (33) and Luka Modric (37) have seemed tireless. Like good wine, they only age in the best possible way, becoming even stronger, even more regular, even more infallible. But tonight, reality caught up with football poetry. Faced with the aggressiveness, intensity and energy put in by Manchester City from the start of the match, with in particular this very high pressing and this Erling Haaland always present to stick the defenders and prevent quick and clean raises, the duo composed of the German and the Croatian seemed quickly on the kneecaps, tired and unable to release the Madrid animation by bringing a little more oxygen and verticality to the collective.
#Bernardo #Silva #sees #double #asphyxiated #amorphous #Merengue