by The champions were dethroned by the kings. Manchester City’s reign only lasted a year. Real Madrid, the club Pep Guardiola has long described as the kings of Europe, knocked City out of continental competition by doing what they always do. They found a way.
It required a great rearguard action, a random combination of penalty takers, a couple of saves from the goalkeeper, in Andriy Lunin, who would have been on the bench if Thibaut Courtois had not suffered cruciate ligament damage or Kepa Arrizabalaga had shown form better.
But Real, buffeted but not beaten, challenged but not beaten, found a way past Guardiola’s best. Now we hope for a semi-final against Bayern Munich. Now could make a 15th European Cup, as well as the fifth of Carlo Ancelotti’s extraordinary career.
For City, there will be no treble. Real have ensured that they remain the only club to have retained the Champions League for the past two decades.
With City, who dominated at the Bernabeu, leading from the penalty spot when fifth-time Champions League winner Luka Modric drove his effort straight at Ederson, it was a case of what could have been.
They could also rue Bernardo Silva on a spot kick, which was caught by Lunin, who was barely able to move. Mateo Kovacic, a frequent shootout specialist, tried to drill the Ukrainian. City may have wished Erling Haaland and superstar Kevin de Bruyne were still on the pitch but they were both substituted. In their place, Ederson was a fine receiver, along with Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden. But it wasn’t enough. Jude Bellingham changed the direction of play after Modric was lost. Substitute Lucas Vasquez scored. So did defenders Nacho and Antonio Rudiger, the men who frustrated City all night. They, more than anyone else, were Ancelotti’s heroes, Real’s saviours.
There was a theory that maybe only Real could stop City, and Real did. City had more than two thirds of the ball, 80 percent of the shots, 94 percent of the corners. But, in a way, they hit their game.
For all their differences, many of their meetings have equity. That is why this depends on today’s continental Clasico. There was no repeat of last year’s 4-0; never existed. Such results stand out in Real history because of their rarity. This group showed their resourcefulness, their refusal to be intimidated. City couldn’t beat them in 90 minutes, or 180, or 210, or 10 points.
Real led for an hour, Rodrygo threatening to knock City out of the Champions League for the second time in three seasons. The 2022 semi-final hero had scored his fourth goal in five games against them, his second goal in eight days. When Real won, Real got the upper hand. Rodrygo completed the reversal after firing his first effort straight at Ederson.
He summed up Real’s threat. They played a game of patience, willing to wait while City had the ball, quick to counter-attack when they didn’t. Without a specialist striker, they had the movement of their two Brazilians instead. Ancelotti promised no surprises. But he has a light touch, he has the ability to influence events while doing seemingly anything. He used Vinicius as a striker again, taking him out of Kyle Walker’s orbit again, giving the winger license to roam in the middle. But even when Real pushed on, they showed less threat as they tired: Rudiger’s golden chance in the 107th minute was arguably the last such opportunity after half-time.
Meanwhile, City showed its own powers of recovery. Guardiola changed the first leg to a half-time reset and the second to a substitution. With 20 minutes remaining, it turned to Jeremy Doku’s effort. A few minutes later, he had his reward. After the jinking run of the winger livewire’s Rudiger’s cross was blocked otherwise, but it fell to De Bruyne who took his shot into the roof of the net.
The Belgians renewed their acquaintance with Real and played with the air of a man in possession. He provided some attractive crosses and almost scored with a corner. He tested Lunin with a long-range effort in the first half and almost delivered a winner with a shot that cleared the bar. Guardiola’s performance was one of disbelief; De Bruyne, too.
But clear chances were rare. Real was a team that was willing to defend, to park their egos for a reason. They rarely spend so much time camping on the edge of their own box. They did so with the help of Rudiger and the veteran captain Nacho, pressed into service by absences. He had a hair-raising moment when he was forced to clear his own line after inadvertently flicking the ball past Lunin but one of Real’s own showed firmness. And Lunin started the tie by embarrassing Silva for the second minute opener, and completed his redemption in the shootout.
For the first time in four seasons, City will not be in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Once again, Real will.
