Could this at last be the year? Since Sheikh Mansour took over Manchester City in 2008, the Champions League has been his target. Now, only Inter stands in City’s way in next month's final. City also beat Real Madrid in the semifinal two years ago but, convincing as that win was, it was nothing compared to this. The final score may have been 4–0 for a 5–1 aggregate, but the gulf between the sides was far greater even than that. City’s main opponent in June may be its own neuroses.
Pep Guardiola sides have thrown away extremely promising positions before, but none has ever dismissed a supposed rival quite so easily before in the Champions League, and none has ever gone into a final as quite so hot a favorite. After Madrid’s frequently inexplicable progress through the competition over the past couple of seasons, this felt like the moment something broke. The logic long deferred is in control. The real money is in charge now.
Perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise how one-sided this was. After all, last season’s semifinal was similarly unbalanced; it’s just that Madrid somehow got away with a 4–3 defeat at the Etihad and then played on City’s anxieties to score twice in injury time at the Bernabeu. But still City’s performance was extraordinary.
At which point, it would be remiss not to issue a reminder that City is a state project, that the resources that brought Guardiola to Manchester and constructed this squad are those of Abu Dhabi. Beyond that, exactly how City has risen over the past 15 years is wrapped up in the 115 charges of financial irregularities brought by the Premier League, and by the charges laid by UEFA that were eventually thrown out because they were time-barred. The uneasiness engendered by the knowledge inevitably casts a shadow but, still the first-half performance in Wednesday’s match was extraordinary.
City battered Madrid. Its press was ferocious. Madrid couldn’t get out of its own half. In the first quarter of an hour, the away side completed just 13 passes. At the same time, City’s own passing was exceptional. Madrid right back Dani Carvajal, who benefited from some indulgent refereeing last week, couldn’t get to grips with Jack Grealish on the City left, while on the other flank Bernardo Silva’s movement exposed the fact that Eduardo Camavinga, for all his qualities, is a midfielder playing at left back. By contrast, Kyle Walker, after a great battle with winger Vinícius Junior in the first leg, dominated him in the second.
The flow of chances was constant. Thibaut Courtois made one fine block from a close-range Erling Haaland header and then made an even better save from the same source, stretching out a right hand to push the ball round the post.
COURTOIS IS IN BEAST MODE! 😤 pic.twitter.com/0TLrducViZ
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 17, 2023
Just as the thought began to form that this might be a repeat of the first leg, when City’s early domination came to nothing, Silva wandered away from Camavinga and, after a flurry of passes, Kevin De Bruyne slipped him through to lash a shot past Courtois. Silva got the second as well, cleverly looping in a header after İlkay Gündoğan’s initial effort had been blocked by Courtois.
"THEY HAVE CLEAR DAYLIGHT..."
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 17, 2023
BERNARDO SILVA DOUBLES MANCHESTER CITY'S LEAD! 💫 pic.twitter.com/8BZ2uCz0NR
There has been a sense for a couple of years that Madrid is vulnerable, that the comparative lack of pace in La Liga means it is ill-equipped to handle the pressing of Premier League sides. In each of the knockout rounds last season, even against Liverpool this season, there were long spells when Madrid found itself under pressure, surviving thanks to its implacable self-belief and the excellence of Courtois, before Luka Modrić, Karim Benzema or Vinícius produced something when it needed it at the other end.
Even here there were moments that could have disrupted City’s serene progress as, out of nowhere, Toni Kroos belted a long-range shot off the bar and David Alaba had a swerving free-kick tipped over by Ederson. But even after a brief Madrid rally early in the second half, which amounted to little more than a spell of possession, the momentum tipped back towards City.
Haaland was denied again by Courtois, who deflected his effort onto the bar, before Manuel Akanji got his head to a De Bruyne free kick, the ball eventually going in off Madrid center back Éder Militão. Julián Álvarez then completed a slick counter in injury time, having won the ball back himself.
This is a brilliant team, producing some of the greatest football ever seen. It’s just a shame how it was put together, a shame what it represents.
