Pic from ESPNFC : Real Madrid celebrate their Champions League semi-final win against Manchester City winning 6-5 on aggregate.
I just finished watching the Champions League Semi-Final second leg match between Real Madrid (RM) and Manchester City on TV live at the Santiago Bernabeu. This is the time I love the idea of TV or Cable TV and satellite TV. What an incredible game, City were bringing a good lead to Madrid, Spain after winning the first leg 4-3 in Manchester. It looked like they were cruising to a spot in the final in Paris after taking a 1-0 lead and a 5-3 overall aggregate lead, it would mean Real Madrid would need three goals to win the tie, which they did in an incredible fashion!
In the 89th minute the score stood 1-0 to City and it looked fatal for RM, but in the 90, 91 and 95th minute RM put in three, though the game did go to extra time after the two goals RM put in regulation and injury time, that itself was a miracle on the night. Carlo Ancelotti probably was lucky as I think he was over reliant on Toni Kroos and Luka Modric and he probably should have put in Rodrygo and Camavinga way earlier, they both played a crucial role when they came on...which is an understatement, but add Vinicius who also worked himself to the ground including a superb on the line save from a possible City goal, this RM team sure pulled a shift. Karim Benzema crowned the night with sublime penalty, not a Panenka, but still a kool penalty in the pressure cooker atmosphere of the Santiago Bernabeu to make it 3-1 and 6-5 on aggregate.
Pep Guardiola thought he had he tie in the bag when City got a 1-0 lead when taking out De Bruyne and Mahrez and putting Gundogan , Gabriel Jesus was taken out too. To add to it, Walker of City got injured, Guardiola decided to put in three defensive midfielders in Gundogan, Fernandinho and Rodri and it broke the balance in the team, it might have even been seen as arrogance and overconfidence by Guardiola, as he thought he had the tie in the bag, City after these substitutions lost the attacking edge. That energy of running around and creating a maze and spirals on the field for the opponents to feel dizzy with those gilt edged passes stopped.
RM smelled blood, like a great white shark and in this case their all white attire added to the allure, yes players win games, but in this case the role of coaches were vital and the clash of two master tacticians between Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti- Ancelotti came out tops, the cunning experienced fox who did not seemed fazed when RM were down or even when they won the tie just celebrated winning a national league title in Spain and becoming the first manager to win national titles in five countries ; England, France, Italy and Germany and let us not forget a few Champions League titles too..and one with Real Madrid in the past.
https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/match/2034663--real-madrid-vs-man-city/
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