Manchester City are in the Champions League final where England will meet Inter Milan in Istanbul. Real Madrid were hopelessly defeated in the semi-final second leg in City’s 4-0 (2-0) win.
Of course, everyone looked at Pep Guardiola before the game. Would the passionate football pioneer conjure up some tactical magic bullet out of his pocket again? One of the kind that had also gone wrong in the past few years?
Guardiola conservative, Ancelotti surprising
The Spaniard, who finally wants to win the first title in the premier class with City, had announced “no thought” to the press representatives and remained true to his statement: He fielded exactly the same eleven with whom he had played away in Madrid -1:1 had brought.
It was his opponent who caused the surprise of the day before the match: Carlo Ancelotti left Antonio Rüdiger on the bench, Eder Militao was given preference. Surprising in that the German was absolutely convincing as a man-marker against Erling Haaland in the first leg. The Norwegian was practically eliminated.
City dominate from the start
It was different this time. After just six minutes, Haaland had his first chance from the left-hand position, but was denied by Real keeper Thibaut Courtois. Almost ten minutes later it was the Belgian again who prevented Haaland from making it 1-0. With his hip he parried a header from the City striker, which had come from five yards from Jack Grealish’s cross.
And real? The Spanish champions withdrew enormously, far too far. It was a game with fire, because City not only dominated. City practically played their opponent against the wall. And created chances almost every five minutes. Courtois had to make a monster save in the 21st minute when he somehow scraped the next Haaland header from close range with a sensational reflex out of the right corner.
Bernardo Silva breaks the spell
The fact that it was still 0-0 was only due to City’s sloppy chance conversion, Courtois and a lot of luck. Which was used up a little later. Kevin de Bruyne played a short but deadly deep pass to Bernardo Silva in the 23rd minute. The Portuguese was spotless 13 meters from the goal and humorlessly threw the ball into the near corner – 1:0.
Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne (l) and Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos (r) in action in the Champions League semifinals.
City’s dominance paid off and Real captain Karim Benzema drew his team together in the center circle before the restart. They were incantations, it seemed. Whatever the centre-forward gave his colleagues for the rest of the season – it didn’t work. Haaland had the next hundred percent in the 27th minute, but threw the ball free-standing from 15 meters over the left corner.
Real is played against the wall
Real seemed out of place – but now has individual quality. For example in the person of Toni Kroos. In the 35th minute, the German ventured towards the opposing goal for the first time and took a brilliant shot from around 25 meters – the ball smacked loudly against the crossbar of the City goal.
In turn, City sort of made things clear early on. Again Grealish had all the space in the world on the left wing, found Ilkay Gündogan, whose shot was blocked. But the ball landed on the head of Bernardo Silva, who deliberately headed into the right corner from twelve meters. 2-0 (36′). A half-time score that was almost embarrassing for Real – because it could have been much higher.
Real braver, Alaba with class free kick
After the change, Madrid showed at least a little bit more courage, advanced further with the whole team, disturbed the opponent earlier. And almost shortened it in the 50th minute – David Alaba’s free kick from 22 meters fluttered in the direction of the left angle, but City keeper Ederson was not surprised.
But not much more was possible at Real – the Guardiola team took control again. And made sure that something like last year didn’t happen again. Back then, too, in the semifinals against Real, City looked like the sure winner until the Spaniards turned things around in the last few minutes of the second leg.
Raise Akanji and Alvarez
That didn’t happen this time. The superior City, for which Haaland failed with his third big chance at Courtois fifteen minutes before the end, rocked the game confidently over the line. And increased the result in the final phase: Manuel Akanji scored with the help of Eder Militao to make it 3-0 (76th), in injury time Julian Alvarez, who came on for Haaland, made it 4-0.
City can look forward to the Champions League final on June 10 in Istanbul against Inter Milan.