Match Report & Player Ratings: Real Madrid 1-2 Manchester City (UEFA Champions League) | OneFootball

Manchester City came from behind to earn a monumental 2-1 win against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday evening.

The Blues took a giant step towards qualification for the Round of 16 stages after coming from behind in the Spanish capital as goals from Nico O’Reilly and a penalty from Erling Haaland cancelled Rodrygo’s early strike to take City up to fourth place in the UEFA Champions League table.

Madrid took the lead after 28 minutes as Rodrygo finished neatly past Gianluigi Donnarumma to round off a silky counter attack to ease the pressure on the hosts, who welcomed an in-form Manchester City side to the Santiago Bernabeu off the back of a 2-0 La Liga loss to Celta Vigo at home on Sunday.

However, City got their act together soon after and levelled proceedings from a corner as O’Reilly tapped home on 35 minutes after Thibaut Courtois failed to deal with Josko Gvardiol’s headed effort towards the Belgian shotstopper.

The visitors were by far the superior side after Madrid’s opener and took full advantage of their momentum as the first half went on, with Manchester City awarded a penalty for Antonio Rudiger’s rash challenge on Haaland on the stroke of half-time.

Haaland made no mistake from 12 yards and give the Blues a vital lead heading into the interval, having been kept fairly quiet by the Real Madrid backline for much of the game by that point only to make the difference when it mattered most.

Madrid squandered a series of chances to pull level in the second half, with City also coming close to extending their advantage as the game opened up towards the final stages.

Some resolute defending and a collective effort to thwart wave after wave of Madrid attacks saw Pep Guardiola’s men earn a deserved win at the home of the most successful side in the competition, which takes Manchester City to fourth place in the group-phase standings after six games.

Here’s how we rated the Manchester City players in a memorable 2-1 triumph against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu!

Starting XI

Gianluigi Donnarumma – 6.5/10

Should have done better for Rodrygo’s opener but his distribution was spot on, he organised the defence well and showed excellent judgement in a number of defensive scenarios in the second half to protect City’s slender lead.

Matheus Nunes – 8/10

One of City’s best players this season, Nunes kept Vinicius at bay and silent for pretty much the entirety of the game. He bombed forward when he could but keeping in mind Madrid’s attacking potency, he played his position very well and he can hold his head high after another impressive outing out of position.

Ruben Dias – 7.5/10

Commanded the defence as usual and did not make any rash tackles, as he has been guilty of doing against Real Madrid in recent years. Solid.

Josko Gvardiol – 8/10

Won a crucial header ahead of Jude Bellingham in the build-up to O’Reilly’s leveller and made a series of crucial interceptions throughout the evening.

Nico O’Reilly – 8.5/10 (POTM)

Could have positioned himself better to stop Rodrygo from having such a clear effort at goal for the opener but pulled City back and did not allow Madrid any joy in attacking his side, showed a calmness and composure well ahead of his years and this is right up there with O’Reilly’s best performances for the first-team.

Nico Gonzalez – 8/10

The biggest compliment one can pay Nico Gonzalez is that you’re not noticing whether it is Rodri or not in midfield for Manchester City week-in, week-out. No further praise needed.

Bernardo Silva – 7.5/10

Ran his socks off and tried to break the flow of the game several times with tactical fouls – a true captain’s mark. Linked up well with Cherki on the right, didn’t get forward much and helped Gonzalez orchestrate the midfield.

Phil Foden – 6.5/10

Cut a frustrated figure at times for not being found when he was in space and signalled for the ball, though it is credit to Madrid’s defence that they managed to prevent Foden from having any real impact on the game.

Rayan Cherki – 7/10

Showed the kind of trickery and finesse that have made him a fan favourite in Manchester, came close to finding the back of the net and was City’s go-to playmaker as the Blues hunted for a leveller and then a winner.

Jeremy Doku – 8/10

Took initiative to get Manchester City higher up the pitch with his skilful dribbling and effortless ability to skip past players, made a host of chances to score for himself and drew a number of saves from Courtois in continue his purple patch.

Erling Haaland – 7.5/10

Did not get but did not need much joy against Rudiger because he converted the most important kick of the game. Simple as that.

Substitutes

Savinho – 6/5/10

Got City higher up the pitch and injected pace into a tired attack in the later stages, though his end product remains poor.

Omar Marmoush – 6.5/10

Like Savinho, he was tasked with pushing for a third but most importantly, keeping the ball deep in the Real Madrid half – a task he did manage when he did get the ball.

Tijjani Reijnders – 6.5/10

Tried to push for a third as City broke late on when Madrid committed most men forward and retained the ball well.

Nathan Ake – 6/10

Nearly gifted Madrid a leveller in the dying minutes in typical Nathan Ake fashion.