Match Report & Player Ratings: Manchester City 1-2 Real Madrid (Aggregate: 1-5) – UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg | OneFootball

For 22 minutes, there was hope that the impossible was in fact possible, yet after a red card to Bernardo Silva for a handball on the goal line and a penalty converted by Vinicius Jr. Manchester City crashed out of the UEFA Champions League last 16. 

Make no mistake, this was not a poor showing from the home side and there were plenty of positives to take amid the grief of being kicked out of the competition.

Erling Haaland responded to Vinicius Jr.’s opener from the spot with his first goal since the start of February having failed to get a shot off at all in the first leg, while Jeremy Doku and Rayan Ait-Nouri both succumbed to the offside flag despite scoring in the 63rd and 78th minutes respectively. 

It marks the second time in as many seasons where the Premier League side have crashed out of the competition before the quarter-final, while Pep Guardiola had only been eliminated before that stage in one of his first 15 editions as a manager. 

Even before the chaos ensued on the pitch, there was plenty off it, with fireworks and flags welcoming both sets of players onto the pitch and a banner conveying the message ‘We Fight ‘Til The End’ from the North Stand. It was known from the beginning that this feat was arduous but it could have been much harder shortly after kick-off.

Inside the opening 54 seconds, Federico Valverde – who scored a 22-minute hat-trick in Madrid last week – had the chance to lift a ball over Gianluigi Donnarumma following a quick passage that started when Vinicius Jr. sent the Uruguayan through. 

Abdukodir Khusanov had helped the ball through, albeit unintentionally, and had Valverde succeeded in getting the right connection on the ball, City could have found themselves 4-0 down on aggregate. 

Then came an onslaught from City; in the space of seven minutes, Rayan Cherki managed to test Thibaut Courtois before hitting another off target, while Rodri and Tijjani Reijnders managed to muster near openings inside the box. 

Pep Guardiola’s side were getting into their stride as an upset, from a mentality perspective, looked very much possible. That was before Silva, standing on the goal line with Donnarumma to his right, jutted his arm to stop Vinicius Jr.’s goal-bound strike in the 17th minute.

Initially, the flag was raised for an offside in the build-up before a VAR check overturned the decision as referee Clement Turpin went to the screen to then inspect the calls for a penalty – and send Silva off as Manchester City went down to 10 men – making their task from improbable to all but impossible. 

Real Madrid have never lost a UEFA Champions League knockout tie when going three goals up in the first leg – and so after Vinicius Jr.’s penalty avenged last week’s miss against Donnarumma in Madrid – extending their advantage to four goals – the chances of a City comeback were even narrower. 

But aside from glaring opportunities for Vinicius Jr. following the opener alongside a long-range hit from Trent Alexander-Arnold, City never lowered their standards and continued to push – such discipline that was rewarded when Haaland levelled four minutes before half-time with a simple tap-in from six yards. 

In the second-half, where the visitors substituted Courtois for Andriy Lunin – featuring for the first time since January 14, City opened Madrid up even more. Haaland and Rodri had strikes come close nine minutes after the restart.

The Real Madrid net was eventually pierced a couple more times when Doku and Ait-Nouri scored but were both court offside in the process. The disappointment was further compounded when Vinicius Jr. guided Aurelien Tchouameni’s cross into the far corner. 

Here’s how we rated the Manchester City players from their defeat at the hands of Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium:

Starting XI

Gianluigi Donnarumma – 6

Held the bragging rights against Vinicius Jr. before this second leg. He was lucky not to get caught out in the very early stages but was rarely tested after that.

Matheus Nunes – 6

A motivated performance with crosses being sent into the danger areas. Also did a good job of suppressing Vinicius Jr.’s threat on City’s right side of the pitch, came off after 57 minutes for an attacking shift.

Abdukodir Khusanov – 7.5 (POTM)

Performed the best of any defender on the pitch for City today. Has shown incredible levels of improvement over the past few months and although there are many negatives from this two-legged tie, his performance here was absolutely top notch. 

Rayan Ait-Nouri – 5.5

He was caught too far up at times but that’s understandable from what would have been a very attacking approach by Guardiola.

Rodri – 6

Pressed tirelessly and dispatched a thunderous near-post strike early on. Also had further opportunities go wide and saved by substitute goalkeeper Lunin respectively.

Bernardo Silva – 4

In a situation where instinct drives the arm up, it was unfortunate to see him leave the pitch after such a positive start. Create some really promising openings in the first 20 minutes.

Tijjani Reijnders – 5

Worked hard in midfield and advanced where appropriate to prevent gaps from opening up behind him. 

Rayan Cherki – 6.5

Was the first to test Courtois with a powerful shot. Dribbled remarkably out of tight spaces and led some attacks with confidence and motivation.

Jeremy Doku – 6.5

Posed a constant threat to Alexander-Arnold in the first-half and the former Liverpool right-back often needed support from Pitarch or Valverde to close Doku down. Did excellently for the opener. 

Erling Haaland – 6

Didn’t get a single shot off at the Santiago Bernabeu but his performance here was a fruitful contrast. A 30th goal for the season while also threatening plenty in the second-half before coming off. Better but far from his best.

Substitutes

Marc Guehi – 4.5

Fell asleep for Vinicius Jr.’s goal but the tie was already over anyway.

Nathan Ake – 4

Struggled at times to cope with Real’s counter as more opportunities opened up in the second half.

Omar Marmoush – 4.5

Didn’t threaten much after replacing Haaland. 

Antoine Semenyo – 5.5

Had one shot off target and failed to create any chances. Retained a high pass completion rate.