CAN WE DO IT ALL AGAIN?
1 breathless game 2 brilliant teams 1 cheeky Panenka ... & just the 7 goals (Oh and it’s only half time)
PEP GUARDIOLA claimed Manchester City would need two exceptional games to overcome Real Madrid.
Well, City did indeed produce an incredible performance on a breathtaking evening but this tie is far from over.
Not when two-goal Karim Benzema is in the picture, his cheeky Panenka penalty eight minutes from time defying the pressure cooker of a semi-final.
Guardiola must be furious that, having played some sublime football, City shot themselves in the foot by allowing Real back into the contest despite being outclassed for such long periods.
Three times the Premier League leaders were two goals in front, only to be left with a cushion of one heading to Spain.
And when you consider the 13-time European champions have come back from the brink against PSG and Chelsea already, only a fool would write them and that man Benzema off again.
The real treat is at least 90 minutes more of this at the Bernabeu next Wednesday.
City scorer Bernardo Silva said: “I honestly think for the first 20 minutes we were so, so good.
“The way we pressed, the way we controlled the game, the way we created chances.
“Over the 90 minutes it felt like we could have won by a better score. Unfortunately we were not able to take advantage of our two-goal differences that we had three times.
“That is the Champions League – we’re playing against one of the best teams in the world. It is still a good result. On to the next game. Our fans should be proud of us, the team should be proud of the work that we did.” Madrid are the great survivors, City the great entertainers as Kevin de Bruyne scored and provided an assist while Gabriel Jesus, Phil Foden and Silva were on target.
But every time Real seemed finished, back they came. City took just 90 seconds to go ahead, their intensity, pace and movement too much for Madrid.
Riyad Mahrez cut in from the right, tricked and teased, before putting over a wonderful cross. In raced de Bruyne who guided home a diving header. What a start. And yet, home fans’ delight turned almost to disbelief as Guardiola’s men got a second in 11 minutes. Foden did well down the left before de Bruyne’s cross set up Jesus who completed the move with the coolest of finishes.
Incredibly, it was the first time Real have ever conceded two goals in the first 11 minutes of a Champions League game. But
they hauled themselves back. Ferland Mendy put over a cross from the left, Benzema ghosted into the box and hooked a shot in off Ederson’s far post.
City’s best-laid plans then unravelled further. John Stones had been an injury doubt but, with Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo out, the Englishman was risked at right-back. Off he hobbled after 36 minutes and on came Fernandinho to fill in. Mahrez hit a post, Foden’s followup was cleared off the line and yet City did not have to wait much longer. Fernandinho charged down the right and his cross picked out Foden who was left free in the box to head home.
But back came Madrid again. Fernandinho was nutmegged as Mendy played in Vinicius Junior, who sprinted from halfway. No one could stop him as he cut into the box before slotting home.
City re-established their two-goal cushion in 74 minutes. De Bruyne was fouled on the edge of the box, ref Istvan Kovacs waved played on and then Silva found the top bin. Of course we were not finished. Aymeric Laporte led with his arm, conceded a penalty for handball and, cool as you like, Benzema chipped down the middle. Foden held his hands up after dragging a chance to put City 3-0 up wide and said: “We started really well in the first 20 minutes and could have killed them off.
“I had a chance and Riyad had a chance as well to kill them off.
“In these games we have to take more of our chances.”