As expected, the first battle between Real Madrid and Manchester City, in the Champions League semifinal, was a clash of powers, with intensity and great goals. In the end, a 1-1 draw in the Santiago Bernabéu that leaves a bitter taste for the Spanish ahead of the second leg in Manchester.

(You may be interested: Vinicius scored a gem of a goal for Real Madrid vs. Manchester City, video)

Real Madrid waited patiently, watched as City took over the field with their touch play, and it took a rival oversight to come up with a great goal. It was Vinicius who hit a violent shot to put the meringues ahead.

City responded in the second part, when Kevin De Bruyne took a powerful shot from outside the area and equalized.

Real Madrid vs. Manchester City.

Madrid hit first

“It’s an open result, we knew it wasn’t going to end here and the tie is 50-50,” Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric told Movistar+ after the game.

The Merengue team began suffering under the pressure of City, practically the only team on the field during the first half hour of play, before beginning to grow after Vinicius’s goal. Kevin de Bruyne gave the first warning with a shot from the edge deflected by Thibaut Courtois (8), who had to stretch again after fifteen minutes from a long shot from Rodri (14).

City was the absolute dominator of the ball with more than 70% possession in the first half, but it was difficult for them to connect with Erling Haaland, whom the white defense kept a close eye on and was barely able to participate.

The Norwegian, who tried to surprise with a header stopped by Courtois (16), had a tough duel with the Merengue center-back Antonio Rüdiger, a partner this Tuesday with David Alaba before the Militao sanction. Haaland entered the game very little, even going down to the center of the field to look for the ball due to the lack of supply of balls in front.

Real Madrid suffered sustained due to the good performance of their goalkeeper, but when the locals were at their worst, Vinicius gave the first warning, reaching the end line to leave a cross that Ruben Dias took when Benzema was about to finish off (25).

The Brazilian reappeared ten minutes later to unleash a shot from the edge that slipped into Ederson’s goal (36). The goal served to encourage Real
Madrid, which would begin to grow until it took control of the game against a City that lowered the intensity of its pressure, going from dominant to dominated.

Vinicius celebrates against Manchester City.

Real Madrid got more, with chances for the meringues in Benzema’s boots (50) and a long shot from Fede Valverde (59).

The French captain of Real Madrid once again experienced a bad night at the Bernabéu, far from his best performances in the Madrid fiefdom.

De Bruyne tied the duel

Benzema ran into goalkeeper Ederson again with a header at the far post that the City goalkeeper denied (78).

Without the intense pressure from the first half of City that had canceled out Real Madrid, the game opened up more with the two teams going to look for the opposite goal. De Bruyne then appeared to unleash a great shot from the edge that slipped past Courtois’s right post (67).

The goal fell like a jug of cold water for the meringues who saw their rival tie when Manchester City was going through the most trouble.

With the score equalized and the two teams more concerned about not making any mistakes than scoring, Real Madrid had one last chance with a great shot from the edge by Aurélien Tchouaméni that Ederson took (90). gr/mcd Courtois

AFP

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