Real Madrid News
Real Madrid 3-1 Manchester City: Match Review
The Santiago Bernabeu has been witness to back-to-back Champions League come-backs this season. The trend began with Real Madrid’s scintillating win over PSG that saw them overcome a deficit to earn a place in the quarterfinals.
Weeks later, they repeated their heroics against Chelsea after they slipped into a losing position after a poor first half.
When Manchester City visited the Bernabeu with a one-goal lead on aggregate, one expected Ancelotti’s side to capitalise on the home advantage to secure a comeback.
The newly crowned La Liga champions had two novelties in their starting lineup: Nacho at centre-back and Federico Valverde over Rodrygo in the attack.
From the get-go, Pep Guardiola’s side took control of proceedings. Karim Benzema had a half-chance in the fourth minute, but it was the Premier League side that had the better and more frequent openings.
Manchester City’s first big chance of the night arrived in the 15th minute when Kevin de Bruyne cut in and shot from distance. The ball was well-struck but was straight into the hands of Courtois.
The Bernabeu held its breath in the 18th minute when Los Blancos had an excellent chance to equalise. Ruben Dias’ clearance fell at the feet of Vinicius Jr, who attempted a direct shot on goal. Unfortunately, his effort went over the bar.
Bernardo Silva’s volley seemed set to glide past the Belgian goalkeeper and into the top corner in the 20th minute until the Real Madrid shot-stopper made an incredible effort to deny it. Minutes later, Gabriel Jesus blew his chance to give City the lead too.
The last big chance of the first half, too, fell to the English outfit when Phil Foden tried his luck on goal. Despite taking a sharp shot, he was denied by Courtois who parried the ball away.
The second half got off to a bright start for Real Madrid who should have tied the score on aggregate as early as the 46th minute. Vinicius Jr had the goal at his mercy but failed to put the ball in the net.
Five minutes into the second period, Courtois was forced to make another save to keep Los Blancos in the game.
There was mayhem in the Manchester City box when Ederson failed to collect the ball after making a charge. Kyle Walker and Rodri scrambled back and cleared the danger for their side, but Real Madrid should have had their first goal.
The most significant moment of the game eventually arrived in the 73rd minute. Bernardo Silva combined with Riyad Mahrez to set the latter free inside the box.
Mahrez did not hesitate to shoot the first time, and his effort rocketed past Courtois at the near post to give City a two-goal cushion on aggregate.
Benzema’s offside effort was saved by Ederson in the 82nd minute, and any hopes of a comeback slowly began to fade away for Los Blancos. As Real Madrid progressively found themselves under more pressure, City began to flourish.
The visitors almost scored a second goal on the night when Grealish put a shot past the Belgian international. However, Ferland Mendy cleared from off the line to keep his side in the game.
A glimmer of hope arrived in the 90th minute when Karim Benzema found Rodrygo inside the box with a clever pass. The Brazilian put the ball past Ederson to put Real Madrid within touching distance of a comeback.
Seconds later, the hosts completed another incredible comeback. Daniel Carvajal put a cross into the box, and Rodrygo rose into the air to score again. The score read 5-5, and the game was well and truly back alive.
Benzema tried his luck on goal in the first minute of extra-time, but could not put much power behind his strike.
Yet, the Frenchman did not give up and won his side a penalty just a minute later. He won the ball cleanly in the box before being taken down by Ruben Dias.
From the spot, he struck the ball clean as a whistle into the bottom right corner. Real Madrid led for the first time in the game, and the scoreboard read 6-5.
Fernandinho came close to scoring an equaliser in the final minute of the first half of extra time but could not stretch enough to seal the goal. The visitors struggled to find another goal on the night, and Real Madrid made it to the finals of the UCL.
Real Madrid managed to pull through and secure a narrow 2-1 victory over Inter Milan on Tuesday night in the UEFA Champions League.
The performance was far from their best, with the Nerazzurri causing plenty of problems for Real Madrid, while they were also guilty of missing a large number of chances in the final third.
Nevertheless, according to AS, the coaching staff, led by manager Jose Mourinho, see a lot of positives from the win at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Mourinho’s message
Indeed, as per the report, Mourinho has delivered a two-part message to his players after the victory over Inter: he is pleased with their ability to suffer, compete and press effectively to secure the result, but he also knows there is plenty of room for improvement.
Internally, the manager was not completely satisfied with the team’s performance.
However, he has chosen to focus on the positives and reinforce one particular message to his players: when a team cannot play at its best, finding a way to win still matters above everything else.
The coach was fully aware of the challenge Inter presented, particularly given the number of absences in midfield. He, therefore, placed greater emphasis on the team’s ability to compete, withstand pressure and produce when it mattered most.
Mourinho was particularly pleased with the way his players followed the pre-match plan when pressing high up the pitch.
Furthermore, for Mourinho, the victory demonstrated character. As such, there were no reproaches for the players.
Plenty of reasons for optimism
The coaching staff have identified several positives from the performance, with Real Madrid recovering 11 balls in the opposition half. That is an important part of the identity Mourinho wants his developing team to establish.
The pressing game is already producing results, despite some players still lacking full match fitness after joining the squad later in pre-season.
Real Madrid could also have won far more convincingly had their forwards converted the chances they created. The team produced nine clear opportunities in all, but were unable to take them.
Areas for improvement
The positives do not hide the areas that still concern Mourinho. Chief among them is the control of matches.
Real Madrid had less than 40% possession, the lowest figure of any team involved in this Champions League round.
The absence of Arda Guler and Bernardo Silva played a significant role, but Mourinho knows there are other factors that need addressing.
The Portuguese coach also wants his side to concede fewer chances. Courtois was required to make six important saves against Inter, underlining how exposed Madrid became at certain stages.
Mourinho is therefore working on reducing the team’s vulnerability and ensuring they do not expose themselves unnecessarily during matches.
With the analysis now delivered to the squad, Mourinho expects the players to put the lessons into practice when Real Madrid return to the Bernabeu against Rayo Vallecano.
