Holders Manchester City were knocked out of the Champions League after suffering a 4-3 defeat in a penalty shootout to Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening.
The match finished even at 1-1 on the night and 4-4 on aggregate, with Kevin De Bruyne scoring a response for the holders after Rodrygo had given the visitors an early lead.
But Andriy Lunin, Madrid’s improbable hero, stopped spot-kicks from Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic, ending City’s chances of winning the competition.
In an exciting first leg, the Ukrainian, who has filled in for the injured Thibaut Courtois this season, was somewhat to blame for City’s early lead, but he more than made up for it.
The 14-time European champions put up a valiant defensive effort to keep City, who had not lost at home in the Champions League since 2018, at bay despite 34 shots on goal.
Eleven months ago, Madrid lost 4-0 at the Etihad to an early City blitz, and Pep Guardiola’s team went on to win the competition for the first time.
Two years prior, City also prevailed 4-3 at home in a thrilling semi-final first leg, only to be taken aback by a dramatic late comeback by Madrid in the rematch.
This time, Carlo Ancelotti’s team turned the tide with a confident start that was rewarded with the first goal of the game.
With a flawless touch, Jude Bellingham lifted the ball from the skies, sending Real scuttling to the right.
Vinicius Junior found the unmarked Rodrygo, who tapped in the rebound after Ederson, his Brazilian international teammate, parried his initial attempt.
Even though City took a while to get into the game, they soon had Madrid pinned against the ropes and were unable to score for 76 minutes.
In the match, Erling Haaland has not scored for the fourth time in as many meetings, but he has rarely been closer than when his looping header struck the crossbar and Bernardo Silva was unable to react in time to convert the rebound.
Jack Grealish’s effort was diverted into the side netting by the resilient Antonio Rudiger, and Lunin was forced to turn away De Bruyne’s strike from outside the box.
At the beginning of the second half, the Madrid custodian stopped two more attempts from Grealish. However, Guardiola traded in the England international for Jeremy Doku’s quicker pace.
That turned out to be a brilliant move because, with 14 minutes remaining, Rudiger mishandled a Doku cross and let De Bruyne smash the ball into the net.
De Bruyne then fired a magnificent chance over, and he should have won the tie on his own.
Nevertheless, Madrid’s vitality was depleted by City’s control of the ball and territory, as their deadly counterattack was mainly restrained after the first half.
With Julian Alvarez coming on for Haaland during extra time, Guardiola made another crucial decision.
However, Real Madrid had the better opportunity during the additional thirty minutes, and the Argentine was no more successful at finding gaps in the vast lines of the Madrid defensive.
Rudiger stayed forward from a rare Madrid corner and sliced over with a clean sight of goal.
However, the German defender would still have the last say when he converted the shootout’s final penalty.
Photo by EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN
