Champions League: why Madrid “survived the bombing” and is a favorite to win its fifteenth Orejona

You have to be reckless to try to intimidate the real Madrid showing them a Champions League on the field just as Manchester City wanted to do that night of April 17, 2024 at the Etihad Stadium. Rubbing a cup against someone who has won it fourteen times is unequivocal evidence that City is still indigestible with recent successes: sins of candor from the new tenant of European football royalty. For the most gentlemanly fan, that slip would have been enough to smell defeat. But that night not even the most skeptical City fan imagined that Real Madrid would be able to knock them out of the Champions League. Only Guardiola and Real Madrid seemed content.

When you arrive in Manchester, the bars and graffiti let you know that the biggest club in the city is United. However, City – a very old club, although historically conflicted between mediocre performances, relegations and the occasional sporadic title – has established itself among the European elite a little over a decade ago. He dominates the Premier League with an iron fist, changing his unfortunate fortunes since the arrival of Sheikh Mansour, petrodollars and the Abu Dhabi United Group.

The atmosphere surrounding the Manchester City – Real Madrid preview was not good enough if one compares it with all the paraphernalia and mystique that surround other English stadiums such as Old Trafford or Anfield. That does not prevent all the advertisements and billboards that cover the Etihad from reminding you endlessly of the “Treble”, the treble of Champions League, Premier and FA Cup that City had achieved in 2023. But the stadium is not very crowded. The only way to understand City’s undefeated record in this stadium in the Champions League is that they play with overwhelming authority. They subdue you like they subjugated Real Madrid.

Madrid did little, but they defended like Thermopylae defended themselves. And this Madrid doesn’t need more than half a chance to score a goal. A rejection that Bellingham lowered from 20 meters, eluding Rodri with control to enable Valverde. Valverde to Vinicius who appears suddenly from the right, center between the legs of Díaz and Rodrygo Goes who pushes her twice to make it one to zero. The rest was a siege by City.

City’s ball movement speed means that the rival defense cannot afford to blink. If you jump to the mark of De Bruyne and Bernardo, Foden and Grealish appear loose and, if they are not enough, then Gvardiol, Stones or Akanji appear from behind. They beat you by demolition because they repeat the movements incessantly. In Rüdiger’s only mistake, De Bruyne appeared and whipped Lunin’s near post with his entire instep. One on one and extra time. Madrid had survived the bombing.

Nothing happened in the extension. Madrid has come back a lot in the Champions League and they also came back from a missed penalty by Luka Modric – they did not deserve that their love affair in the Champions League ended with that affront -, they came back perhaps because Lunin had the coolness to give Bernardo a penalty without moving, perhaps because Lucas Vásquez he shoots penalties like a public official sealing documents. Anyway, when Rüdiger’s last penalty went in, kissing the post, the German ran to celebrate with his teammates and then left, carried away and possessed, to join the three thousand Real Madrid fans at the Etihad. The defending champion had fallen, Real Madrid had passed. Bayern awaits him.