- Real Madrid win an insane semi-final second leg at home against Manchester City 3-1 aet and advance to the Champions League final.
- Rodrygo saves the Madrilenians shortly before the end with a brace within 89 seconds into extra time.
- There, Karim Benzema scored a penalty to make it 3-1.
- As in 2018, Real Madrid will meet Liverpool in the final on May 28th.
Real Madrid are in the final of the Champions League for the 17th time. The Madrilenians won the semi-final second leg against Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabéu 3-1 after extra time, erasing a 3-4 first-leg mortgage.
The guest from Manchester had looked like the sure finalist until shortly before the end of the game. Coach Pep Guardiola’s side led 1-0 thanks to a 73rd-minute goal from Riyad Mahrez and were just minutes away from a second final appearance. After Jack Grealish twice had the definitive decision in favor of City on his feet, substitute Rodrygo’s hour struck out of nowhere:
- 90 minutes: Karim Benzema passes a long ball into the middle. Rodrygo gets to the ball in front of City goalkeeper Ederson and scores to equalize 1-1.
- 91 minutes: Just a minute later, Ederson has to reach behind him again. Again it is Rodrygo who scores. With a powerful header, he marks the 2:1 and makes up for the mortgage from the first leg.
In the extra time that was due, it was once again Benzema who was responsible for the decision. The Frenchman was fouled by Ruben Dias in the 3rd minute of overtime in the penalty area and safely converted the following penalty. After the 3 goals conceded, City was no longer able to react within just 5 minutes and had to bury their dream of the “Henkelpott” again prematurely.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, averted the out in the final quarter of an hour for the third time in the three knockout rounds this year. Paris Saint-Germain was caught in the round of 16 and Chelsea in the quarter-finals. The Santiago Bernabeu is the place of the magical European Cup nights this year.
No spectacle at first
The game was still a long way from a magical night in the first half. There were also plenty of goal scenes in the second leg between the two European heavyweights, but there were no goals for the time being.
Real Madrid struggled with Manchester City’s high pressure and had to concede the better chances to the guests. The best opportunity for the Citizens was missed by Bernardo Silva in the 20th minute, when he found his champion from close range in Real keeper Thibaut Courtois. Benzema only really drew attention to himself before the break. The French goalgetter was able to head the ball completely free-standing after just 4 minutes, but put the ball well over the goal.