2024-09-02 09:20:30
Real Madrid are in the Champions League semi-finals. And it’s all thanks to Lunin’s saves in the penalty shoot-out and a shot by Rüdiger that gave the Whites the pass.
The game was a monologue by City against a Real Madrid that put in a tremendous display of defensive survival. That was enough to eliminate the European champions who did everything to win, but they came up against what Real Madrid has in the Champions League and that it is clear that no one else has. Only then can we understand what happened at the Etihad.
Ancelotti and Guardiola went out with everything to seek the Champions League semi-finals. It was no wonder. Although the start of the match was not as expected. Like two boxers who study each other before striking the first blow, City and Real Madrid came out with the same idea. Pressuring the opponent’s exit in search of the opponent’s error and going as quickly as possible in search of the goal. That relative calm that was experienced at the start of the match ended in the 12th minute with Rodrygo’s goal. Long ball to Bellingham who was not offside, pass to Valverde who gave it to Vinicius, who was not in an illegal position either. The Brazilian gave a golden pass to Rodrygo whose first shot with his shin was stopped by Ederson, but the rebound fell back to Rodrygo who did not miss on the second attempt and put the score at 0-1.
Real Madrid dealt the first blow to a City side that was forced to react. This put even more pressure on Real Madrid, who were struggling to get the ball out. This is how the English chances to equalise came. The clearest, Haaland’s shot onto the crossbar ended with the ball at the feet of Bernardo Silva, who missed a very clear chance. Real Madrid, increasingly sinking in their own half, held on and even had chances to score their second goal on the counterattack.
City were aware of the risk they were running with these counterattacks, but they were willing to take them. Their objective was to equalise and the Whites’ counterattacks were not going to be an obstacle in their search for a goal. The home team’s pressure was increasing, but Guardiola’s men could not cope with either the Whites’ defensive system or Lunin. The chances were falling on the side of the English team, who cornered Real Madrid in their own half and saw Ederson’s goal as if they were playing on the infinite field of the Japanese animated series Champions. In short, they did not get close to the rival area even by mistake and that was due to City and their overwhelming pressure up front. A team, the English team, who despite their efforts, went into the break losing 0-1 to a Real Madrid for whom that break was, without a doubt, a relief. And a joy because they finished the first half as a team qualified for the semi-finals of the Champions League.
The second half began, as expected, as the first ended, with City pressing and creating chances. However, Real Madrid did stick their heads out on a couple of occasions in Ederson’s vicinity, although more to scare than anything else because the game and the chances were English. City’s siege of the Real Madrid area was total, but the goal was not coming and, appealing to the cliché, the minutes were passing very quickly for the English and very slowly for the Whites. A Real Madrid that at times seemed to ‘breathe’ a little with long balls in the face of City’s suffocating pressure, but it was a mirage because Guardiola’s men pressed and pressed without rest, literally putting the whole of Real Madrid in their area.
De Bruyne equalizes
In the face of this situation, it was time for the coaches. Guardiola brought on Doku for Grealish to freshen up City’s attack. Coincidentally, a few minutes after that change, De Bruyne scored the 1-1. A poor clearance from Rüdiger left the ball at the feet of the Belgian who beat Lunin in the 76th minute to get the equaliser that City had more than deserved. The match was back on track, but with the risk that with little time left, any mistake or oversight could cost them saying goodbye to the Champions League.
Ancelotti then decided to change the bench and bring on Modric for Kroos, who clearly thinks the two cannot play together. City continued to press because extra time was not an option and De Bruyne had the chance to make it 2-1. Extra time, which, given what was happening on the pitch, would be a reward for a Real Madrid side in which Brahim came on for Rodrygo.
The final minutes of regulation time were a nightmare for Ancelotti’s men, who did not have a single shot on target in the second half. That was enough for Los Blancos to go into extra time, with a scare for Haaland in the last play of the 90 minutes.
City and Real Madrid had half an hour to play to secure their place in the Champions League semi-finals. To everyone’s surprise, Guardiola decided to start that extra time by replacing Haaland with Julián Álvarez to create more mobility in his attack and thus disrupt the Madrid defence.
Extra time was a continuation of what had been seen in regulation time, with City attacking and Real Madrid defending as best they could. Vinicius’ suffering did not end there, as he left the field exhausted and it remains to be seen whether he will be injured in the Clasico. Lucas Vázquez came on in his place, but more to reinforce the right flank defensively than to attack. The first part of extra time ended, surprisingly, with a chance for Real Madrid from Rüdiger.
It was all or nothing for City and Real Madrid in 15 minutes with penalties looming and the Whites without Carvajal who left exhausted. Militao came on in his place and Ancelotti ordered a five-man defence with three centre-backs. Guardiola, for his part, brought on Kovacic and Stones to refresh his team physically. City’s pressure not only did not subside but increased as the final minutes of extra time approached. All this, under the watchful eye of a Real Madrid team that blocked as best it could all the balls centred into Lunin’s area and from time to time appeared in City’s area.
All in the penalties
In the end, it went to penalties, which, considering how the match had gone, was a success for Real Madrid. Now, it was no longer in the cards for the two teams who put their place in the semi-finals in the hands of Ederson and Lunin.
Julián Álvarez opened the penalty shoot-out and did not miss. Modric was the first to take the penalty for Real Madrid and Ederson saved it. A mistake by Modric that Lunin made up for by saving a penalty from Bernardo Silva who took it in the worst possible way. Bellingham did not miss for Real Madrid and the next to take the penalty was Kovacic who saw his shot saved by Lunin. Lucas Vázquez did not miss in his shot to put Real Madrid ahead in the shoot-out. Foden also did not miss in his shot and it was Nacho’s turn to score his penalty. Ederson, the City goalkeeper, faced Lunin from the 11 metres and did not miss. Rüdiger, yes, Rüdiger, was the one in charge of giving Real Madrid a pass to the semi-finals or extending the shoot-out. The centre-back did not miss and the white team will be in the semi-finals where they will face Bayern.