Manchester City thrived for at least some of the 90 minutes at the Bernabeu and, more importantly, they survived all of them.
There were times in the second half when Real Madrid pulled the Premier League champions one way and then the other, side to side, before cutting through them and fashioning shots at goal. It was the sort of ruthless suffocation that City are used to employing against opponents domestically, and it was very much against the run of play when instead of conceding a second goal they bagged an equaliser through Kevin De Bruyne.
Real kept pushing and an excellent defensive effort including some decent saves from Ederson confirmed a 1-1 draw that City will be happy to take into the second leg, yet there was no denying that the players had been put through the mill. With Pep Guardiola not turning to any substitutes, everyone on the pitch will have to wait to see how they recover.
