Man City 'narrowly escaped' on Real Madrid's field

Spain Real Madrid drew 1-1 with Man City in a two-goal match, in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals.

Striker Vinicius Junior and midfielder Kevin de Bruyne took turns scoring goals in each half, in a tight and technical match. Karim Benzema and Erling Haaland were also given some notable chances but failed to take advantage, so the two teams will start again at the Etihad Stadium a week later.

Vinicius celebrates his goal to open the scoring for Real Madrid against Man City in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final at the Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain on the evening of March 9, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Man City played better in the first half, forcing goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to save four times in the first 16 minutes. The most difficult situation for the Belgian goalkeeper was Rodri's long-range shot that went hard and close to the post, but he still pushed it away. Courtois's solidity helped Real play more confidently, pushing up the squad to put pressure, making it difficult for the visitors to develop the ball.

Courtois was the mainstay of the defense, while Vinicius Junior led the home team's attack. In the 25th minute, the Brazilian striker stole the ball from Rodri's back pass, then crossed it, but center-back Ruben Dias managed to slide it in before it reached Karim Benzema. After this situation, Vinicus called on the Bernabeu crowd to cheer more enthusiastically.

Vinicius also broke the tie with a superb long-range shot in the 36th minute, but the first credit went to left-back Eduardo Camavinga. He played a one-two with veteran Luka Modric at home, then climbed the sideline and passed into the middle for Vinicius to clear. From about 25 meters away, the Brazilian striker fired a powerful shot into the top corner, giving goalkeeper Ederson no chance to block. This was Vinicius' 15th goal in the Champions League, nearly half of which came in the knockout round.

The way Portuguese referee Artur Dias handled the match was also not to the liking of Man City players, as they felt Real Madrid escaped many situations that deserved yellow cards. The home team often committed fouls against counter-attacks, but only received their first yellow card in the first half's extra time.

After the break, the situation changed again when Man City played more aggressively, creating good opportunities. In the 56th minute, Ilkay Gundogan passed the ball to Haaland to escape down the left side of the penalty area, but the Norwegian striker's shot was blocked by David Alaba.

Gundogan did not play well in this match, losing the ball dangerously many times, but at the important moment he made the right decision. In the 67th minute, the German midfielder received the ball in the penalty area, turned to cover it and then released the ball to De Bruyne's second line, shooting hard into Courtois' net. This goal was no less beautiful than Vinicius' opening goal.

Kevin de Bruyne's (right) powerful long-range shot...

...helping Man City gain a slight advantage in the second leg. Photo: AFP , Shutterstock

Real complained to the referee in the second half, as the home side felt they should have been awarded a penalty for a handball by John Stones in the penalty area. De Bruyne scored shortly afterwards, further angering Real's coaching staff. After overreacting, coach Carlo Ancelotti was shown a yellow card. The Portuguese referee also did not show Rodri a yellow card despite three fouls that prevented his opponents from attacking.

In the remaining minutes, Real played better, including a close-range header from Benzema and a long-range shot from Aurelien Tchouameni, but goalkeeper Ederson dived to block both.

Coach Pep Guardiola made no changes for this match, although they only have four days off before their next Premier League match against Everton. Meanwhile, Real have no other target than the Champions League, so can save their key players for the return leg.

Starting lineup

Real Madrid : Courtois, Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Camavinga, Valverde, Kroos (Tchouameni 84), Modric (Nacho 87), Rodrygo (Asensio 81), Benzema, Vinicius Jr.

Man City : Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Akanji, Rodri, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Silva, Grealish, Haaland.

Hoang An

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