Jonathan Liew on City's perfection
Pep Guardiola speaks ...
“At home we feel incredibly comfortable in front of our people,” he tells BT Sport. “I have a feeling that for one year we had a fear in our stomach about what happened last season but today we went out with everything we had. Last season was so painful and people say it was lack of character but one year later we show just how special these players are. Congratulations to our chairman, our owner and every last person [in our organisation] because they work with a real purpose and now we are there [in the final].”
Manchester City v Real Madrid player ratings ...
Jamie Jackson marks the players out of 10, chucking eights and nines around like confetti when judging the performances of those from Manchester City. Spare a thought for poor old Erling Haaland, who had to make do with a seven on Norway Day.
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Kyle Walker joins the chat ...
“I’m glad it looked comfortable from up there,” he says in response to a question about how easy the first half looked for City from the studio up in the stands. “Listen, it’s tough. It’s always going to be tough. I think the emotions sometimes take hold of you. I was a little ‘Phew, how is this going to go?’ I thought the lads dug in well, controlled the ball really well, especially in the first half. I think in the second half we were a little bit sloppy when we came out, giving the ball away in areas where we shouldn’t. Listen, we got over the line and that’s the main thing.”
Jack Grealish talks to BT Sport ...
“It’s unbelievable,” he says. “We spoke last week after the game and I was buzzing then just to be involved … well, not to be involved because that makes me sound like a youth team player. I mean just to be in the moment, man … it’s so nice. And now a week later I’m standing here again and it’s 4-0. I don’t think a lot of teams would do that to Real Madrid.
“I swear, man … you know when we’re all together and we’re just playing and stuff, especially here? We just feel unstoppable, honestly. I don’t know what it is. I seen a stat the other day about Champions League games, concerning the amount we’ve won at home compared to away. I think we’ve drawn five in the Champions League away this season but we’ve won every game at home. I don’t know what it is, whther it’s the fans or the pitch, but playing here we just feel nobody can beat us.”
Match report: Manchester City 4-0 Real Madrid (agg: 5-1)
Champions League semi-final second leg: “It was not even close, which was surely the most impressive thing from Manchester City’s point of view as they roared into the Champions League final; another step closer to ultimacy, immortality.” Read David Hytner’s match report from the Etihad Stadium …
City celebrate: The stands remain packed and Manchester City’s players have been celebrating in the centre-circle, where Erling Haaland is celebrating Norway Day by draping himself in his home country’s national flag. They could be celebrating again on Saturday evening, as Bernardo Silva has just said they are determined to win the Premier League in front of their home fans with a victory over Chelsea. They may not even need to win. If Nottingham Forest can beat Arsenal earlier in the day, City will be crowned champions without kicking a ball.
Bernardo Silva speaks ...
“It’s a beautiful night for us,” he tells BT Sport. “We knew it was going to be tough but to beat this Madrid team 4-0 at home it was wonderful. It’s a wonderful feeling to be in the final again and hopefully this time we can try to win it.”
On his own display: “My performance in the first leg in Madrid wasn’t the one I wanted and I wanted to try to compensate for that because I didn’t feel very good at all after the first game. Today I had to do better for my team-mates, for the fans and that’s what I tried to do.”
On scoring with a headxer: “I’m very good with my head,” he says with a laugh. “I’m small but I’m good with my head.”
On facing Inter in the final: “I watched the game yesterday and they’re a very organised team. I watched the games also against Barcelona and Munich in the group stage … and Benfica, because it’s my team. They look very organised defensively and quiclk going in the counter-attack … set-pieces. It’s going to be tough but we’re going to try it.”
A quick recap: A first-half brace from Bernardo Silva along with an own goal from Eder Militao and the cherry on top from Julian Alvarez did for Real Madrid, who can consider themselves lucky to not to have been beaten by a lot more. Thibaut Courtois pulled off several sensational saves to keep the score down, while his opposite number Ederson was only forced into action on a couple of occasions. The Brazilian saved a rasping drive from Toni Kroos and a David Alaba free-kick.
Full time: Man City 4-0 Real Madrid (agg: 5-1)
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeeeeep! It’s all over at the Etihad Stadium, where Real Madrid have been humbled by a Manchester City side who have rarely played better. Pep Guardiola and his men will travel to Istanbul for the Champions League final against Inter in 24 days time.
GOAL! Man City 4-0 Real Madrid (agg 5-1) (Alvarez 90+1)
Ah here! Rodri plays a short pass inside to Phil Foden, whose first-time ball in behind is seized upon by Julian Alvarez. He slots past Courois, who immediately gets to his feet and berates defenders who were doing passable imitations of statues.
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89 min: Some neat interplay between Foden and Grealish comes unstuck when Lucas Vazquez charges in to win the ball. Manchester City substitution: Julian Alvarez on for Erling Haaland, who will go to bed tonight wondering how on earth he didn’t score. Thibaut Courtois made two or three excellent saves to deny him, the first of which bordered on the downright astonishing.
87 min: Real Madrid press forward in search of a consolation goal on what has been a miserable evening in their history. The reigning European champions have been totally outclassed by their hosts.
84 min: Phil Foden is on for Kevin De Bruyne, who was starting to look a bit tired. I think it was Rodrygo who made way for Ceballos.
82 min: Ederson denies Dani Ceballos, standing tall to block a rising drive from the recently introduced substitute … whose introduction I missed. Sorry about that.
80 min: Man City substitution: Riyad Mahrez on for Ilkay Gundogan, who jogs off to an ovation. Real Madrid substitutions: Aurelien Tchouameni and Lucas Vazquez on for Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Carvajal.
78 min: En masse, City’s supporters turn their backs to the action, put their arms around each other’s shoulders and “do the Poznan”.
GOAL! Man City 3-0 Real Madrid (agg: 4-1) (Militao 76og)
Game, set and match, Manchester City! Kevin De Bruyne’s free-kick from the left is flicked on by Manuel Akanji. His header takes a big deflection off Eder Militao and fizzes past Thibaut Courtois.
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75 min: Eduardo Camavinga is penalised for a late challenge on Jack Grealish. His claims that he won the ball fall on deaf ears.
73 min: Oh my! Haaland exchanges passes with Gundogan, running on to a backheel from his skipper and finding himself clean through on goal. He looks certain to score from six years but is somehow denied by Courtois again. The goalkeeper makles himself big and manages to deflect the ball over the bar. Denied for a second time tonight, Haaland cannot believe he hasn’t scored.
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71 min: Vinicius Jr goes to ground in the Manchester City penalty area claiming to have been pushed by John Stones. He’s chancing his arm and referee Szymon Marciniak is quite rightly having none of it.
70 min: Real Madrid substitution: Marco Asensio on for Toni Kroos.
67 min: Marcelo Bielsa was appointed Uruguay manager yesterday and if the great man has tuned in to this game to see how Federico Valverde is getting on, he could be forgiven for wondering if the midfielder is even on the pitch. Valverde has been totally anonymous tonight and is one of several Real players who are just strolling around the pitch waiting for somebody else to flick the switch and get them out of their current pickle.
65 min: The ball’s sent fizzing through the centre to Karim Benzema, whose touch on the half-turn lets him down.
62 min: Ilkay Gundogan is bookedd for a foul on Vinicisus Jr. Real Madrid substitution and it’s an interesting one: Antonio Rudiger on for Luka Modric. One presumes he’ll slot into ther heart of Real’s defence, Alaba will move to left-back and Camavinga will move further up the pitch to play alongside Toni Kroos.
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60 min: Dani Carvajal recovers to steal the ball off the toe of Ilkay Gundogan as the Manchester City skipper shaped to shoot from seven yards after a ricochet off the left-back’s leg broke his way. It was a half-chance but Gundogan hadn’t time to sort his feet out.
59 min: Kyle Walker cuts out a cross aimed towards Benzema from the boot of Rodrygo. He’s been outstanding tonight, like most of City’s players.
57 min: Real Madrid have been considerably better in this half than the first but it’s a very low bar. They’re enjoying far more possession but not doing a great deal with it. If they could conjure up a goal from somewhere it would really spice things up.
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55 min: Jack Grealish is dragged to the ground by Dani Carvajal as he tries to skip around him down the left wing. The Real Madrid right-back has his name taken and City have a free-kick wide on the left. Kevin De Bruyne’s delivery is cleared by Carvajal.
53 min: Kevin De Bruyne has just exchanged cross words with Pep Guardiola, apparently annoyed with his manager’s constant interference from the technical area. Pep takes the criticism on board and returns to his seat but is unlikely to stay in it for too long.
51 min: Ruben Dias is booked for a technical foul on Vinicius Jr; a “Fernandinho” if you will. Free-kick for Real Madrid, a few yards outside the City penalty area, in line with the right side of it. David Alaba’s dipping effort is saved superbly by Ederson. That was a ridiculously good shot by the Real Madrid defender.
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51 min: Modric plays a cross-field diagonal to Dani Carvajal in space on the right side of the City penalty area. He’s dispossessed by Rodri.
49 min: A Bernardo Silva pass out wide to Jack Grealish is intercepted and Real Madrid break upfield. Silva nips any potential counter-attack in the bud with a lung-busting run to atone for his earlier error.
47 min: Real Madrid manage to string a few passes together and dominate possession in the very early stages of this second half. Rodri is fouled by Camavinga and City get a free-kick wide on the right.
46 min: Kyle Walker dispossesses Vinicius Jr with an excellent tackle and sends City on their way upfield again.
Second half: Man City 2-0 Real Madrid (agg 3-1)
46 min: Play resumes, although given the mauling they were subjected to in the first half, Real Madrid’s players could have been forgiven for sneaking out of the stadium and heading to the airport.
City have been imperious and it will be fascinating to see what, if anything, the reigning champions can do to stop what seems their relentless march to next month’s final in Istanbul. There are no changes in personnel on either side … yet.
An email: “Thibaut Courtois and Bernardo Silva have been the outstanding players so far,” writes Colum Fordham. “Real have the class and guile to come back but City have been utterly dominant and the final should be City-Inter.”
“I was going to write that I feared this match might be like that Raiders of the Lost Ark scene where the guy with the sword does that incredible routine of fancy moves, but Indy pulls out a gun and settles it in a second (I see Modric in the Indy role),” writes Joe Johnson. “But clearly, now they’re a couple up, the swordsman has learnt a thing or two.”
Half-time: Manchester City 2-0 Real Madrid (agg 3-1)
Peep! The players of both sides walk off for the break with City two goals to the good thanks to a brace from Bernardo Silva. If anything the scoreline flatters Real Madrid, who have been made to look extremely ordinary and have their goalkeeper to thank for preventing City from scoring more with a couple of outstanding saves.
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45 min: Kevin De Bruyne picks out Jack Grealish in space at the far post but a poor touch from the City winger lets Real off the hook.
43 min: City’s players ping the ball around halfway inside the Real Madrid half, playing keep-ball with ease as their visitors chase shadows. This is a masterclass from City and Real Madrid incrfeasingly resemble a rabble. THere’ll be a serious half-time inquest in their dressing-room and it will be interesting to see how Carlo Ancelotti attempts to extricate his side from the mess in which they find themselves.
41 min: City win a free-kick wide on the right touchline. Kevin De Bruyne’s delivery is flat and put out for a corner. De Bruyne’s outswinger is headed clear, Real Madrid lump the ball forward and Kyle Walker mops up at the back for City.
39 min: While there was no Roberto De Zerbi style kneeslide down the touchline from Pep Guardiola as Bernardo Silva bagged his second goal of the night but City’s manager did go skipping down the side of the pitch, fist-pumping away to his heart’s content.
GOAL! Manchester City 2-0 Real Madrid (agg: 3-1) (Silva 37)
City double their lead! Real Madrid give the ball away and City advance upfield with Grealish on the ball. He plays it inside to Gundogan, whose shot is blocked by Courtois. The ball breaks to Silva, who heads it into the empty net from 12 or 13 yards out.
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34 min: Real Madrid win a corner. Modric sends the ball into the City penalty area, where Militao wins the header but is unable to steer it goalwards. The ball is recycled and Toni Kroos unleashes a shot from distance. It’s on target but Ederson gets a fingertip to the ball and touches it on to the woodwork. At last, some signs of life from Real Madrid …
32 min: Real Madrid finally get an attack going and Rodrygo sends Benzema on his way with a pass off the outside of his right boot. Through on goal but chasing the ball, the Real captain is beaten to it by Ederson, who dashes out of his goal and smothers it on the edge of his area.
30 min: Gundogan tries to play Haaland in behind the Madrid defence but overhits his pass, allowing Militao to clean up at the back. This wasn’t happening last week as Real were sitting so deep there was no space for any of City’s players to exploit behind their backline.
28 min: While City were celebrating their goal, Vinicius Jr was summoned to the touchline for an urgent chat with Carlo Ancelotti. The Real winger looked genuinely shellshocked as he lsitened to his manager’s instructions and it’s small wonder. His side is getting monstered and are struggling to even get a touch of the ball, let along a toe-hold in the game.
26 min: Kevin De Bruyne was the creator of that goal, playing Bernardo Silva into space behind the Real defence through the inside right channel. While it would be most unwise to write off Real Madrid’s chances, all available evidence suggests they could get slaughtered this evening.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Real Madrid (agg: 2-1) (Silva 23)
City lead! Bernardo Silva rifles the ball inside the near post from an angle about 12 yards out and City get the goal their early dominance deserve.
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20 min: Silva and De Bruyne combine down the right touchline deep in Real territory and win a corner for their team. De Bruyne plays it short to Silva, creates an angle and crosses. The ball finds its way to Akanji, he heads across the face of goal and Haaland nods the ball goalwards. A hopelessly wrongfooted Thibaut Courtois somehow changes direction in mid-air to get a hand to the ball and keep it out. That is an incredible save.
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18 min: Free-kick for City, wide on the left a long way out. Kevin De Bruyne tries to catch out Thibaut Courtois with a whipped effort the goalkeeper won’t have been expecting but the ball fizzes well wide.
17 min: Ilkay Gundogan tries to pick out Haaland with a cross floated towards the far post. I say “floated”, but the pass is wildly overhit and sails out of play for a goal-kick.
15 min: We’re a quarter of an hour in and Real Madrid have barely had a kick of the ball. They’re seriously under the cosh and struggling badly to get out of their own half. Having said that, they’ll probably go ahead soon because … well, that’s what Real Madrid do.
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13 min: Chance!!! Real Madrid somehow clear an Erling Haaland header off the line when it looked for all the world like he’d opened the scoring. Jack Grealish dinked the ball his way from the left and the big Norwegian jumped to send a downward header goalwards from about five yards out. Courtois got something on the ball, before Eduardo Camavinga hacked it off the line. So close.
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11 min: More patient build-up from City, with much of the play dictated by John Stones about 10 yards outside the Real penalty area. Upon receiving the ball for about the fifth time in quick succession he elects to try his luck from distance. His shot travels well wide.
7 min: Haaland takes the ball past Thibaut Courtois down the inside left to the byline and pulls it back into the penalty area, hoping a team-mate will be on hand to bury it. There’s nobody there! Moments later, Rodri is presented with a shooting opportunity but sends his low diagonal effort wide of the far post. Much like last week at the Bernabeu, City are bossing these early stages while Real Madrid are biding their time.
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6 min: Bernardo S|ilva is penalised for a shove on Toni Kroos, possibly borne out of frustration at having apparently just been fouled by Camavinga and Vinicius Jr.
4 min: Kevin De Bruyne tries to stand the ball up for Erling Haaland in the Real Madrid penalty area, not too far from the edge of the six-yard box. Eder Militao wins the header and clears for the visitors.
3 min: Now City work their way down the left touchline, with Gundogan and Manuel Akanji exchanging passes. The ball’s played across the face of the Real penalty area for Kyle Walker, who sends a wild shot high and wide of the Real goal.
1 min: Bernardo Silva links up with Kyle Walker down the right hand side and plays a crossfield pass. The ball is returned his way but an uncharacteristically poor touch sends it out for a Real Madrid throw-in halfway inside their own half.
Manchester City v Real Madrid (agg: 1-1) is go!
1 min: It’s game on, with the players of Real Madrid wearing black shirts, shorts and socks. Manchester City wear their usual home kit.
Not long now: Led by Polish referee Szymon Marciniak and his team of match officials, the teams march out on to the Etihad pitch. Manchester City are led by Ilkay Gundogan, while Karim Benzema wears the skipper’s armband for Real Madrid. Both sets of players line up for the Champions League anthem, which is loudly booed and jeered by a home crowd whose love for Uefa continues to know no bounds. The stage is set and kick-off is just a couple minutes away.
Less than 15 minutes to kick-off. An idle thought: it seems inconceivable that a duo of strikers of the quality of Erling Haaland and Karim Benzema could each go two legs of the same tie without finding the net. Both strikers had quiet games last week but will be fancying their chances of scoring tonight.
Manchester City v Real Madrid line-ups
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Akanji, Rodrigo, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Grealish, Haaland
Subs: Ortega Moreno, Carson, Phillips, Laporte, Alvarez, Gomez, Mahrez, Foden, Palmer, Lewis.
Real Madrid: Courtois, Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Camavinga, Valverde, Kroos, Modric, Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius.
Subs: Lunin, Vallejo, Nacho, Hazard, Asensio, Odriozola, Lucas, Tchouameni, Ceballos, Rudiger, Mendy, Mariano
Team news
Pep Guardiola fields an unchanged line-up from the side that started in Madrid, while Antonio Rudiger drops to the Real Madrid bench to make way for Eder Militao, who is back from suspension.
That is the only change in Real’s line-up from last week’s first leg but it’s a big call from Carlo Ancelotti, considering how well Rudiger played in that game.
Your City XI 🙌
— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 17, 2023
XI | Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Akanji, Rodrigo, Gundogan (C), De Bruyne, Bernardo, Grealish, Haaland
SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Carson, Phillips, Laporte, Alvarez, Gomez, Mahrez, Foden, Palmer, Lewis#ManCity | #UCL pic.twitter.com/V1GZQTL3vn
Manchester City: Pep Guardiola and Kyle Walker cut relaxed figures at yesterday’s pre-match briefing despite the pressure on the former to deliver a Champions League trophy for his Abu Dhabi paymasters, not to mention the latter’s poor bar-room misbehaviour and subsequent spell on the sidelines that his manager – publicly, at least – put down to the player’s apparent lack of tactical awareness. The outcome of Walker’s ongoing and thus far largely successful battle to contain Vinicius Jr over two legs could have a major say in determining the outcome of this tie but the England international is feeling bullish. David Hytner reports …
Tonight’s match officials
Polish referee Szymon Marciniak leads tonight’s team of match officials. You may recognise the 42-year from his role as whistle-blower in the World Cup final between Argentina and France.
Referee: Szymon Marciniak
Referee’s assistants: Paweł Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz
Fourth official: István Kovács
VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski
Early team news ...
Ruled out with a hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined for Manchester City’s past two games, Nathan Ake is the only player ruled out of Pep Guardiola’s squad through injury or suspension, although the manager promised he plans to do “something different” in this evening’s second leg.
Given his prediliction for overthinking tactics going into crunch encounters in a way that isn’t always beneficial for his team’s chances of success, it should also be added that Pep was also quick to put the minds of supporters at rest and seems unlikely to play Ederson up front in place of Erling Haaland and start Phil Foden in goal.
“I have an idea to do something differently, just to be more fluid in attack,” he told reporters. “It’s nothing special. I’m not overthinking tomorrow, don’t worry guys. Nothing different to what we have done in the past.”
Carlo Ancelotti’s sole injury concern is in regard to Eduardo Camavinga, who limped out of Real’s La Liga win over Getafe last Saturday but may be fit to resume his role at left-back this evening. David Alaba, Rodrygo and Karim Benzema were all rested for the Getafe game but are expected to return tonight.
Ancelotti must also decide whether to start Antonio Rudiger, who kept Erling Haaland on an impressively tight rein last week, or welcome back Eder Militao, who missed the first leg through suspension.
The word from Spain is that both players could start, with Alaba moving to left-back, Camavinga moving to his usual midfield role and Rodrygo dropping to the bench. In other news relating to potential ANcelotti tinkering, Real left-back Ferland Mendy is also fit again after returning from a calf injury he picked up two months ago. The French international played 45 minutes against Getafe.
Preamble
With Internazionale awaiting the winners in next month’s final, Manchester City host Real Madrid in this semi-final second leg to see who will travel to Istanbul as overwhelming favourites to beat the Italian side. It’s all square between the sides after last week’s opening instalment at the Bernabéu, where Vinicius Jr opened the scoring for Real Madrid while City were on top, only for Kevin De Bruyne to cancel out his strike just as Real Madrid were asserting themselves in the second half.
While the smart(ish) money seems to be on City to prevail with home advantage, only a fool would write off the chances of Real, who last season showed they are completely different gravy when it comes to “finding a way” to not only survive, but thrive in this competition when the odds are against them. Kick-off at the Etihad Stadium is at 8pm (BST) but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up to what could be a bona fide European thriller.
