Man City stun Real Madrid at Bernabéu, Xabi Alonso on the brink | OneFootball

The Merengue lost 2-1 at home to the Citizens in the regular phase of the Champions League in a crucial match for the round of 16 qualification.

The coach came into the match heavily criticized not only because of a curious home defeat against Celta the previous weekend but also due to a string of inconsistent results that cost them the leadership in LaLiga.

So a victory for the Merengues would have helped to dispel doubts. And they seemed to know it, because the team came out with great momentum and gave the Citizens a hard time from the start.

Thus came the lead, consistent with what was seen on the field. Guardiola's team couldn't find the ball and suffered the pressure from Casablanca. Even without Mbappé, both Vinícius and Rodrygo were causing trouble up front, especially with space, which led to the goal. At 28', Carreras stole the ball during a City attack, played it to Bellingham, who passed it to Rodrygo, who fired a low cross shot straight into the net.

The lead brought such an ephemeral calm that it quickly vanished, as City managed a swift comeback. What crushed Xabi's team was the manner: two practically gifted goals by his team that Guardiola's side did not forgive.

Seven minutes after the 1-0, Madrid literally scored two own goals: the first was gifted by Courtois to Nico O’Reilly, who took advantage to quickly equalize after a mistake by the goalkeeper. In a corner, Josko Gvardiol won in the air, headed down, and the Belgian left an unjustifiable rebound, allowing the City player to correct and score for the tie.

And at 43', Haaland extended the lead after an unbelievable penalty by Rüdiger on him, after grabbing him during a set piece with little disguise. The Norwegian, after a VAR review, had his chance and did not miss from the penalty spot.

Madrid had the entire second half to go for it and didn't know how or couldn't do it. Neither with the substitutions nor with the effort could Madrid cause discomfort, and the frustration was evident at the Bernabéu. A header by Endrick towards the end was the clearest chance for Casablanca, hitting the crossbar, among the few threats from the home side.

Manchester City, with very little, struck in the Spanish capital and is shaping up for qualification among the top eight. Madrid is on the edge of the play-in, and although they are not struggling in the Champions League, what worries them is LaLiga, where they need to regain consistency and not fall behind Barcelona, the leader and eternal rival. The question is pertinent:

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.