You can’t blame Manchester City for thinking they have booked a place in the UEFA Champions League finals after 89 minutes of their second-leg semi-finals match against Real Madrid. After all, they were up two goals on aggregate and the Spanish club didn’t seem like a team that could match their intensity on the field. However, it turned out that “90 minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu is a very long time” indeed.
Despite trailing 0-1 in Wednesday’s match and 3-5 on aggregate, Real made it even in stoppage time and then finished the job in extra time. They are now set to play Liverpool in the UCL finals at Paris’ Stade de France and have a chance to win their 14th Champions League trophy.
Real welcomed City on Bernabeu and need at least a goal to keep their finals hope alive after losing 3-4 in Manchester last week. However, this proved easier said than done as the La Liga side struggled to catch Man City’s defense off-guard despite having some great-looking chances. The English club sat back and waited to strike from counterattacks.
Manchester City’s strategy paid off midway through the second half when winger Riyad Mahrez ran up to a loose ball and slammed it into the right top corner of Thibaut Courtois’ goal. At this point, considering the result and their lack of efficiency, it seemed like the time had come for Real Madrid to bow out of the tournament. Then, Brazilian winger Rodrygo entered the scene.
Rodrygo, the second-half sub, first scored a goal in 90′ minute off of Karim Benzema’s assist to give his team a glimpse of hope. Then, less than two minutes later, everyone at Bernabeu was at their feet as Rodrygo scored again for Real’s 2-1 lead and chance to go to extra time.
Their spirit already broken, Manchester City looked lost in extra time. This was on full display five minutes in when defender Ruben Dias took down Benzema with a poorly-timed sliding tackle. The referee pointed to the spot, and Benzema was as cool under pressure as it gets, calmly converting the kick with a well-placed shot. This proved to be enough for Real to seal one of the most remarkable UCL comebacks in recent memory as City failed to put themselves in a position to threaten Courtois again.
“This team, this club is capable of anything, we believed until the end,” Courtois said after the match. “We made it 1-1 and then 2-1, and they were dead. We were better in extra time. We had to defend well, and we did it. Incredible.”
