The fans at Etihad Stadium had to wait 70 minutes before they could cheer. The origin of the winning goal was a pass from Rodrigo to Phil Foden, who had just come on as a substitute. This held its own against three Atletico players and forwarded to Kevin De Bruyne in the interface. The Belgian then said he had no trouble netting past Jan Oblak’s support leg.
A lot of effort, little return at ManCity
The 1-0 win was well deserved and is still a modest reward for the effort Pep Guardiola’s team put in in the quarter-final first leg against the Spaniards. Although the guests had the first shot on target after a counterattack by Marcos Llorente in the 51st minute, they never put Ederson in the hosts’ goal under pressure.
At Man City, it took four minutes longer before eventual goalscorer De Bruyne Oblak posed problems for the first time with a free kick. The second chance for the hosts, a header from Aymeric Laporte (63rd) on the goal, resulted from a corner from a standard situation.
A halftime for tactical fans
In the first half in particular, it was the much-touted “Festival for Tactics Fetishists” that the two teams conjured up on the pitch in Manchester. Although England had more than 70% possession of the ball, they struggled to create chances.
Once they got to the sixteen of the guests, they met the Madrilenians’ usual five-man chain and their waves of attack ebbed away at the defensive bulwark of the Simeone-Elf. The result of a dominant half-time by the “Citizens” without compelling ideas: not a single shot on goal.
For Diego Simeone’s Atletico, the task in the second leg (13.4.) – despite the 0-1 mortgage and a disappointing performance on the offensive – can still be accomplished with a will.