Five Things Learned: Real Madrid 1-2 Manchester City (UEFA Champions League) | OneFootball

Manchester City confidently took down Real Madrid in the Bernabéu with a UEFA Champions League comeback win on Wednesday night.

The two sides are no strangers to one another, having played each other five times in the last six seasons before heading into their latest clash in the Spanish capital this week. Having lost last year to Real Madrid in both legs of a last-16 play-off tie, City were out for revenge against a Los Blancos team which only had two wins in their previous seven games.

The home side started as the stronger of the two and took the lead through Rodrygo, who had not scored for 32 games. City were behind for less than 10 minutes, though, as academy product Nico O’Reilly reacted fastest to hit home the equaliser after a Josko Gvardiol header.

Things got even better for the visitors as Antonio Rudiger’s clumsy challenge on Erling Haaland saw a penalty awarded, quickly dispatched by the Norwegian. Leading for the first time on the night, City headed into the break having weathered the early Spanish storm and on the back of a quick turnaround in fortunes.

Pep Guardiola’s side put in a confident and mature performance in the second half, largely nullifying their opponents and closing out an impressive win to restore their position in the top-eight of the Champions League’s league phase table.

Here are five things we learned from Manchester City’s successful outing in Madrid!

City learn from their mistakes

As mentioned, Manchester City are no strangers to coming up against Real Madrid, but Pep Guardiola’s side showed on Wednesday that they had learned from their mistakes.

Despite a shaky start, which echoed the 3-1 drubbing earlier this year, the Citizens got through it and put in a more composed performance following Nico O’Reilly’s equaliser.

This is good to see in a season where it feels like the team is learning and growing together into the side they wish to become, with tactical changes made across the line-up following the disappointments of last season.

Going to the Bernabeu and coming home with a win is never an easy feat, even with Los Blancos’ current form considered. Wednesday’s victory may have only been a league phase fixture, but make no mistake, it was a statement from Manchester City all the same.

Erling Haaland: The man for the occasion

There was talk that, despite Erling Haaland being as good as he has been in his time at Manchester City, he can struggle in the bigger games and against the bigger opponents. Luckily for the 2023 Treble winners, talk is all that was, and the Norwegian does his talking very much on the pitch.

He stepped up for the team once again at a crucial moment in the match just before half-time to coolly convert the penalty, which he had won, past Thibaut Courtois.

A 51st goal in just 50 UEFA Champions League starts and a sixth goal in this season’s edition of the competition once again highlighted Erling Haaland’s quality and importance in Pep Guardiola’s side.

Nico O’Reilly: Starboy

One major negative of Manchester City’s academy is that so few players make the full jump to the first team, settling in and becoming regulars.

One major positive of Manchester City’s academy is Nico O’Reilly, who – along with Phil Foden – has made that giant leap and landed with style. The young defender plays in a side full of stars with confidence and maturity, not looking out of place among the best of the best.

What better place to once again test his credentials than the European cathedral of football that is the Bernabéu, and once more, he did not disappoint.

A vital equaliser at one of the most famous stadiums in the world was just one of the many highlights of another strong game on the biggest stage, and another firm reminder that Manchester City fans should be excited for the years to come with him in the side.

Yellow cards galore

Although it was a successful night for Manchester City, one disappointing takeaway from the night was the yellow cards and silly fouls committed. Pep Guardiola’s reaction to Phil Foden’s poor challenge in the first half, which saw him needlessly booked.

City were lucky to avoid further yellow cards in the first half before Nico O’Reilly and even Pep Guardiola picked up bookings in the second 45. Bernardo Silva picked up a yellow in the closing moments of the match, meaning the club captain will now miss his side’s next European game.

The former Premier League champions should look to stamp this out of their game, especially in the biggest matches, as they can soon turn from yellow to red and cost the team in the big moments.

Real Madrid… again?!

Regardless of the result on Wednesday evening, one thing is for sure for both camps, and that is they are sick of playing one another.

No other fixture has been thrown up more often in the UEFA Champions League since Real Madrid and Manchester City’s first meeting back in 2012, and it feels that way, too.

What should be an entertaining encounter with two European heavyweights clashing has quickly become an all too usual affair in recent years.

It would be refreshing to face a new side in the Champions League instead of another trip to the Bernabéu, where Pep Guardiola’s side have played at more often in recent years than several La Liga teams.