Arsene Wenger foresaw the downfall of Manchester City before they suffered a humiliating collapse in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.
The Sky Blues were eliminated from the competition on Wednesday night despite leading 5-3 on aggregate with seconds remaining in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu. Riyad Mahrez struck in the 73rd minute to set City on course for a final against Liverpool before substitute Rodrygo ripped up the script by scoring in the 90th and 91st minutes to level the tie.
Astonishingly, Karim Benzema then scored what proved to be the winner from the penalty spot early in extra-time and Los Blancos were able to see out the remaining 25 minutes in front of their deafening support in the Spanish capital. Rodrygo's quick-fire double came shortly after Pep Guardiola had to take off Kyle Walker, who was clearly struggling with an injury.
The City boss sent on Oleksandr Zinchenko in the Englishman's place but the substitute struggled to cope with Real Madrid's dazzling wingers - namely Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior - before the hosts hit back in stunning fashion at the death. The way the final few minutes played out more than vindicated Wenger's comments ahead of the second leg, during which he voiced concerns over City's ability to defend without Walker at right-back.
Giving his prediction while speaking on beIN Sports, the former Arsenal manager said: "City. They are the better team. The only thing with City, they can be vulnerable when Walker doesn't play in that defence. When they have [Joao] Cancelo and Walker they can deal well with the passes in behind the defenders. When Walker is not there, they are a bit more vulnerable."
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Walker played no part in the first leg against Los Blancos and missed City's last three Premier League games due to an ankle injury sustained in the quarter-final clash against Atletico Madrid. He was able to deal with Vinicius Junior well throughout his time on the pitch in the second leg but was clearly playing through pain after a number of collisions in the second half, eventually forcing Guardiola to take him off.
It remains to be seen how severe his latest issue is while, in the meantime, City must bounce back from their painful defeat and refocus their efforts on the intense Premier League title race with Liverpool. Four top-flight games remain for each of the two rivals and the Etihad club have a slender one-point advantage over the Reds at the table's summit.
