Manchester City will be hoping to secure their second successive Champions League final appearance when they take on Real Madrid at the Bernabeu this evening in a finely poised semi-final. City were forced to rue a number of missed opportunities in the first leg at the Etihad, as they surrendered a two-goal advantage three times on the night eventually winning the game 4-3, giving the recently crowned Spanish champions a glimmer of hope of reaching the final at the Parc des Princes at the end of the month.
Early goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus had Pep Guardiola 's side in the driving seat, but after Karim Benzema grabbed a goal just before half-time, old memories of recent Champions League slip ups soon resurfaced.
But that did not faze City, with Phil Foden restoring their two-goal lead, only for Vinicius Junior to score for the visitors two minutes later. And Bernardo Silva 's strike in the 74th minute seemed to have all but sealed a sizeable advantage going into the second leg, but a moment of pure class from the penalty spot by Benzema saw the tie take on a whole new dimension.
