(Football news) Real Madrid once again showed why they are kings of Europe. The 13 time winners once again displayed their never say die attitude as they defeated Manchester City in the UCL semi final. Los Blancos booked their tickets to the final in Paris with yet another dramatic comeback. It was heartbreak for Manchester City who are still searching to win their maiden Champions League trophy.
The first leg in Manchester was one of the games of the season which ended 4-3 in Manchester City's favour. The feeling after the game was that Real Madrid were the happier side as Manchester City dominated the whole game and still only managed to take a 1 goal lead. In the 2nd leg Manchester City were boosted by the return of Joao Cancelo and Kyle Walker while Real Madrid welcomed back Casemiro. David Alaba couldn't recover from his injury and Nacho took his place instead. Real Madrid changed their tactics a little which was clearly seen right from the beginning. In the first leg Toni Kroos played as the sole CDM which left a lot of space for the likes of Kevin De Bruyne. In Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti went with a double pivot of Kroos and Casemiro with Luka Modric as a number 10.
The first half was a very cagey affair as both teams were cautious with their approach. Real Madrid, who needed a goal, couldn't get a clear sight of the goal. Infact Los Blancos didn't have a shot on target until the last minute. City on the other hand tested Thibaut Courtois a few times but the Belgian was rock solid. Real Madrid's best chance came when Toni Kroos' free kick looked to be destined for the top corner but was deflected by the wall. Karim Benzema also had a couple of chances which he couldn't take.
The 2nd half had an incredible start from kick off as Kroos Casemiro and Modric managed to play a triangle of passes which ended with the German playing a long ball over the entire City defence for Dani Carvajal. The right back played the ball across goal but Vinicius Jr blasted his attempt off target. Carlo Ancelotti replaced Kroos with his go to super sub Rodrygo while Pep Guardiola was forced to take off Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne. Manchester City finally broke the deadlock in the 73rd minute as Bernardo Silva set up Riyad Mahrez who blasted the ball in the top left corner to beat Courtois at his near post. Real Madrid looked to be dead and buried while Manchester City had one foot on their plane to Paris but Rodrygo had other plans.
Ancelotti played one final card as he replaced Casemiro and Luka Modric with Marco Asensio and Eduardo Camavinga. Camavinga brought a different energy on the field with his ball carrying from back to front with simple yet intricate passing. Jack Grealish came on as a substitute and had two incredible chances the first one was cleared off the line by Ferland Mendy while the second was deflected behind by the bottom part of Thibaut Courtois's boot. Real Madrid refused to give up and finally pulled a goal back in the 90th minute as Camavinga's ball into the box was played across goal by Benzema for Rodrygo to score. Just a minute later Dani Carvajal played a sumptuous cross which glazed Marco Asensio's head before Rodrygo headed it into the goal. The Bernabeu erupted as the game went into extra time.
5 minutes into extra time Thibaut Courtois played an intelligent pass to Camavinga which eliminated City's press. The French teenager ran half the length of the pitch before playing it wide to Rodrygo. The substitute played a first time ball into the box towards Karim Benzema who was brought down by Ruben Diaz. The referee pointed to the spot and Benzema calmly slotted it in the bottom right corner. Manchester City attempted to get the equaliser but couldn't break the Madrid wall. The game ended 3-1 on the night and 6-5 on aggregate. Real Madrid will meet Liverpool in the final at Paris in what will be a replay of the 2018 final where Los Blancos were victorious.
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