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The second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final clash between Real Madrid and Manchester City on Wednesday night left football fans in stitches yearning for more. A real football showdown.
It was a battle of the titans that saw English Premier League leaders Manchester City humble Spanish giants Real Madrid with a 4-0 thrash at the Etihad Stadium. The win enabled Manchester City to book a UEFA Champions League Final spot that will go down in Istanbul, Turkey.
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The second tie kicked off with a 1-1 draw, this is after their draw in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu. This time, Pep Guardiola’s side proved dominance and prowess from the first kick of the ball, forcing Real Madrid’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois into early-minute saves due to intense attacks.
However, the continued pressure from Pep Guardiola’s side finally paid off in the 23rd minute when De Bruyne played a defense-splitting pass to Bernado Sliva, who cut onto his left foot and powered a shot past Courtois.
Not so long after, in the 37th minute, the very Bernardo Silva added his second of the night. The Portuguese international placed a lovely, looping header past Courtois after the rebound from Ilkay Gundogan’s close-range strike set up perfectly for him.
The 14-time European title winners Real Madrid’s hopes to complete a comeback in the tie kept dimming as minutes passed by. Pep Guardiola’s boys kept hammering their defense again and again. Manchester City showed resilience, and passion and played a well-organized game throughout the first half.
On the kick of the second half, Real Madrid seemed to have gained redemptive energy, they came in displaying a better performance.
Read also: Manchester City’s amazing win to the top of the table
However, their glory minutes were short-lived in the 76th minute, Kevin De Bruyne’s floated cross into the Madrid area glanced off Manuel Akanji and then Militao into the back of the net to send the Etihad crowd into delirium.
The Cityzens were not done with sealing vengeance against their fierce rivals. Pep Guardiola made a tactical change, substituting Erling Haaland for Julian Alvarez in the 88th minute. The Argentine starboy had stayed barely 1 minute on the pitch before sending the ball rolling into the back of Thibaut Courtois’ goal.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side trailed at the Etihad, receiving a humbling 4 nill thriller in the hands of Pep Guardiola. Manchester City will face Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League Final in Istanbul, Turkey.
What Players and Managers Had to Say
Pep Guardiola: The players were outstanding. I had the feeling we had one year playing within our stomachs what happened last season. I think today everything came out that we had that was so painful last season when the people say ‘lack of character’.
“Today from minute one we had the feeling people were ready. It was calm mentally. I didn’t feel tension or see anxious faces. Today we were ready.”- Pep Guardiola
Guardiola said his team has purged last year’s semifinal loss to Real Madrid.
“It’s a beautiful night for us. To beat this Madrid team 4-0 at home was wonderful. Wonderful feeling to be in the final again and hopefully this time we can try and win it,”
“We were very, very resilient – we were very passionate and organized at the same time.”
“My performance in the first game in Madrid was not the one I wanted and I wanted to compensate for that because I didn’t feel very good at all after the first game and today I have to do better for my teammates and the fans.”
On Bernardo Silva, who scored City’s first two goals in a 4-0 win, this is what Pep Guardiola had to say.
“In this type of game Bernardo is always there” – Guardiola on his match-winner
“Just buzzing. I don’t think a lot of teams would do that to Real Madrid.” – Manchester City’s Jack Grealish
“When we play here, I don’t know what it is – our fans or playing on our own pitch, but we just feel unstoppable.”
Grealish on City’s perfect home record in this season’s Champion’s League.
“It looked comfortable but it’s tough. It’s always going to be tough.”
Kyle Walker, Manchester City defender
“I watched the game yesterday. Very organized team. Very strong very organized defensively quick on the counterattack and set pieces. Going to be tough but we’re going to try,”
– Silva has been keeping an eye on their final opponent Inter Milan.
“It’s another trophy we want to win with our fans again. We are going to try to recover the best we can to be full gas at the weekend to give another Premier League to our people.”
– Silva switches focus to the home game against Chelsea on Sunday when City can clinch the English title.
“One day off and we prepare the game Sunday.”
– Guardiola
“It was not a good performance. Manchester City was better. They played really well.”
“In football sometimes it happens the rival is better than you.”
– Carlo Ancelotti, the Real manager
“The opponent was better from start to end. They subdued us and you can see that in the result.”
“We can recognize that City was better, we were lacking something. It wasn’t attitude we were lacking but we allowed ourselves to be pressed back too much.”
“We are Madrid. We’ll come back stronger.”
– Real Madrid’s Dani Carvajal
“I don’t think the way City started was a surprise to us, we were expecting a burst of pressure: that they wouldn’t let us play out with the ball easily. We expected to be pressed back into our own penalty area,”
– Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois
“Congratulations to Manchester City. They were better than us and deserve to go through to the final.”
–Emilio Butragueno, Real Madrid Vice-President and former star strike.
Read:Manchester City to play Inter in the UEFA Champions League final
Manchester City to Battle Real Madrid in the Finals
Manchester City will face Inter Milan in the 2023 Champions League final. Inter meanwhile secured their spot in the final by overcoming AC Milan 3-0 on aggregate in their semi-final clash which concluded on Tuesday.
This year’s Champions League final will take place at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul, in Turkey on Saturday 10 June, with kick-off scheduled for 20.00 (UK).
It will be the second time City appears in the final following their maiden appearance in 2021 and were edged out 1-0 by Chelsea.
Inter meanwhile are three times winners of European football’s most prestigious tournament, their most recent success coming in 2010 when the Italian side beat Bayern Munich 2-0.
City will be the designated home team for the Champions League final.
