It was not just that Manchester City had led by two goals with 90 minutes on the clock, a place in the Champions League final against Liverpool basically theirs – although that was plainly the greatest, deepest agony.
It was not that this semi-final should have long since been over. After the first leg, which City had dominated. Or before Real Madrid’s stoppage-time sorcery, in which the substitute Rodrygo cast the spells, scoring two scarcely believable goals to force extra time.
