It's all square between Manchester City and Real Madrid in their mammoth Champions League semi-final tie after a hard-fought 1-1 draw in Tuesday's first leg.
Vinicius Junior drew first blood for the hosts at the Bernabeu with a spectacular strike, despite City's domination in the first 45 minutes. And then when Real decided to get a grip of the game, Kevin De Bruyne popped up at the other end with a stunning goal of his own to level the scores.
Erling Haaland was frustrated by a resolute Real defence, as City boasted the lion's share of possession in typical Pep Guardiola fashion but only matched the reigning champions for goals. The two teams will do it all again next Wednesday in Manchester.
Here are five talking points from the first leg at the Bernabeu.
1. City's commanding start
Not that Real Madrid made a habit of dominating their opponents during last year's run to winning the Champions League, but Carlo Ancelotti's men were truly put to the sword in a one-sided 25 minutes here. During that first stage of the game, Manchester City boasted a remarkable 72 per cent possession in the Kings of Europe's back yard.
Firing off six shots to work Thibaut Courtois, City were making the most of their dominance, dictating the play as if it was a bog-standard Premier League game, typified by John Stones ' constant appearance pushing into midfield. The hosts, on the other hand, didn't even have a sniff at goal until the 25th minute when Ruben Dias was forced to smartly cut out Vinicius Junior's dangerous low cross which was teasing for Karim Benzema.
"It's like Real Madrid are the away team," Gary Neville tweeted. "It almost worked on the counter with that chance." Playing on the counter was evidently Ancelotti's plan.
2. Vini Jr's sucker punch
72 per cent possession for City? Yeah, of course Real scored first. After weathering City's early storm and beginning to get a foothold, makeshift left-back Eduardo Camavinga evaded Bernardo Silva before a one-two with Luka Modric which set the young Frenchman on his way.
Camavinga continued to drive forward before laying the ball off to Vinicius Jr 25 yards from goal. Just as a player with his kind of confidence would be expected to do, the in-form winger unleashed a strike after gaining a few metres facing the City defence and beat Ederson all ends up, as he crashed a shot into the back of the net.
Maybe the best player in the world right now, having scored or assisted in every game since the international break, Vinicius Jr proved once again the he's a man for the big occasion, despite only being 22 years of age. City were stunned, as was the world watching.
3. No joy for Jack
Since the World Cup, there've been few better players in the Premier League than Jack Grealish. The England regular looks to have fully adapted to Pep Guardiola's demands of a winger after a season learning the ropes, and has recently been showing why City shelled out £100million for his services in the summer of 2021.
Grealish admitted ahead of the game that he still rues his missed chances in last year's second leg between these sides at the Bernabeu, and many were tipping him to make amends. Unfortunately for the 27-year-old, he failed to build on a promising first 15 minutes of attacking play and allowed Dani Carvajal get the upper hand in their hotly-contested battle.
4. Game of golazos
In a Champions League semi-final, you expect quality, and boy, did the goals deliver. After Vinicius Jr blasted Real into the lead, Kevin De Bruyne decided to match him in the 67th minute. Despite City spending much of the second half having to ensure that they didn't concede again, Pep Guardiola's side began to gain some confidence after the hour mark.
While Real were getting frustrated on the touchline after a number of opportune penalty appeals, De Bruyne kept a cool head and profited from some superb pressing by Rodri, who expertly won back possession for City in the final third. Then his Belgian team-mate produced a trademark driving effort, whizzing the ball past compatriot Courtois to make it 1-1 before a tense closing period in which opposite number Ederson had to pull off two outstanding saves to keep the visitors level.
Have your say! Who'll go through - Real Madrid or Manchester City? Let us know your prediction in the comments section.
5. Finely-poised for round two
With contrasting styles and big-game players stepping up on both sides, nothing could separate Real and City after a pulsating 90 minutes. Last season, Guardiola and his team took a one-goal lead to Madrid at this stage and squandered it in heartbreaking circumstances to mark another failed pursuit of their first ever Champions League crown.
For the 14-time winners, their task is easier in terms of the scoreline, but they won't have the iconic support of the Bernabeu behind them and instead face what should be one of the most raucous crowed at the Etihad since it was opened. Bring it on.
