City 4-0 Real Madrid: Our greatest of all time?

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Manchester City F.C.

·16 March 2026

City 4-0 Real Madrid: Our greatest of all time?

For many, it was the greatest team performance by a Manchester City team. Period.

There have been some wonderful displays by the Blues down the years, with our 4-3 victory to win the league at Newcastle in 1968, the improbable recovery against Gillingham in 1999 and the remarkable comeback against QPR in 2012 examples of stunning triumphs over adversity.

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And, if we’re talking about comebacks, beating Spurs 4-3 in the FA Cup after being three goals down – as well as a man down – ranks highly in our greatest victories and nobody will forget the win over Aston Villa in 2022, where, with a Premier League title on the line and trailing 2-0 with 74 minutes played, City scored three quick goals to win the game and once again be crowned champions.

This football club, maybe more than any other, has a history of turning seemingly impossible situations around and having the odds stacked against us seems to bring out the very best in Manchester City.

Our win over Real Madrid in 2023 wasn’t a comeback with the drama of the games mentioned, but it ranks as maybe the best of them all and on Tuesday evening, we will attempt to maybe even usurp that magnificent evening at the Etihad.

The Blues were facing Madrid at the Etihad having secured a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu.

Nobody was underestimating Carlo Ancelotti’s side as the two teams walked out at an expectant, vibrant Etihad Stadium with the prize of a Champions League final up for grabs.

Pep Guardiola’s side knew they had to deliver a near-perfect performance to keep the dream of a Treble alive, but also to see off the competition’s most wily opponents.

The Spaniards, with 15 Champions League wins to their name, carry an aura with them that can unnerve even the most experienced and talented teams.

But not Manchester City on 17 May 2023.

It’s fair to say that Real Madrid were blown away by a team determined to create history with a first-half performance that was simply magnificent.

Attempting the stop the inevitable, was Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtois who somehow kept out two Erling Haaland attempts that would have been a goal on each occasion on any other night.

The Belgian shot-stopper has enjoyed many breath-taking nights in this competition, and his heroics kept the scores level for 23 minutes before Bernardo thumped home the opener from close range to send the City fans wild.

Madrid were being torn apart, with Haaland a constant threat, Jack Grealish causing mayhem, Kevin De Bruyne purring like a Ferrari engine, Rodri a colossus and, of course, Bernardo at his effervescent best.

There was one warning shot across the bows as Toni Kroos rattled the crossbar on 35 minutes, but it was one that was heeded in some style by the Blues as just two minutes later our Portuguese playmaker doubled the Blues’ lead on 37 minutes, reacting to a Courtois save from Ilkay Gundogan by sending a perfectly-weighted looping header into the top right corner to put Guardiola’s men in control.

Cue pandemonium.

Grealish and Manuel Akanji would go close again before the break – the latter being the 13th shot of a footballing masterclass by the men in sky blue.

The second-half was a more even affair until the final 20 minutes when the Spaniards had to take risks and on 70, they came close to paying the price only for Haaland to be denied by yet another incredible Courtois save.

Six minutes later, the game was over as a contest as De Bruyne’s cross found the head of Akanji who – via a sizeable deflection of Militao – made it 3-0.

The rout was completed in the final minute, with Phil Foden’s cushioned pass sending Julian Alvarez clear to slot a lot shot past Courtois and make it 4-0 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate.

The final whistle blew shortly after, sparing Madrid further punishment as the magnitude of the victory sunk in around an electric and ecstatic Etihad.

It was a statement win and a night when Guardiola’s side humbled e European giant.

After the game, Bernardo said: “A beautiful night. We knew it would be tough but to win 4-0 is wonderful to be in the final again – and hopefully we can win it. We had the momentum to go after Madrid because they are tough – even when we were winning 2-0 they pushed us and they could’ve scored. But we were resilient, passionate and organised. I’m so happy with the performance.

“My performance in the first game wasn’t the one I wanted, and I was to try and compensate that. I didn’t feel good after the first game and today I had to do better for my teammates and the fans. I’m very good with my head – I’m small but good with my head!”

Grealish added: “Unbelievable. Just to be in this moment is so nice. I don’t think many teams can do that to Real Madrid but when we’re all together and playing, especially at home, we feel unstoppable.

“I saw a stat the other day about how many Champions League games we’ve won at home compared to away, I couldn’t believe it. When we play here in front of our fans, we feel unstoppable. Even in the league, we feel nobody can beat us. You see what we’ve done to Bayern Munich, Leipzig and tonight, it’s unbelievable.”

BBC Sport’s Chief Football Writer Phil McNulty said: “City have lost two previous semi-finals to Real, but they made no mistake here at a joyous Etihad Stadium to now stand one step away from claiming the trophy that has always stayed tantalisingly out of reach for Pep Guardiola’s team.

“And their display in a magical first half, in particular, will live long in the memory as the masters of this tournament were left bewildered by City’s brilliance.”

And Pep? He had this to say: “These guys have done it for many years and today they got the reward they deserve. A final against an Italian team. When the draw was Real Madrid, I said I want it. Today it was there. I’m very pleased for the organisation, the chairman, owner and players.

“I had the feeling these last days we had a mix of calm and tension to play these types of games. After 10 or 15 minutes I had the feeling that all the pain that we had during one season last season was today there. It was so tough and hard here last season - we played quite similarly to the way we played today.

“I remember that in an interview Toni Kroos said Madrid was special because they could have been beaten 10-2 at the Etihad. When one of the best players in the world and one of the best I ever trained he says that then we were there. It was tough the way we lost.

“Our fans were happy... this is the biggest compliment.”

That was then and this is of course now.

It’s likely Madrid will have up to eight players from that evening almost three years ago involved in the second leg of a Round of 16 tie they currently lead 3-0, so they will all be well aware what is possible against Manchester City at the Etihad.