MANCHESTER CITY came back strongly to beat Real Madrid 2-1 in the Champions League, adding to the pressure on Real's manager Xabi Alonso. This was only the second time City have won at Real's home ground, the Santiago Bernabéu.
Key points:
- This was the first time Manchester City had beaten Real Madrid in the Champions League since May 17th, 2023, ending a four-game losing streak.
- Real Madrid had only once before in their history scored first but ended up behind at halftime in a Champions League match, which was back in March 1991 against Spartak Moscow.
- Real had not lost after scoring first in the Champions League since February 26th, 2020, when they lost to Manchester City.
The game changed quickly when Antonio Rudiger made a reckless challenge on Erling Haaland inside the penalty area.
Initially missed by the officials, the incident was reviewed from the pitchside monitor, and a penalty was given. Haaland confidently converted it from the spot.
In the second half, Jude Bellingham had a big chance to equalize but headed the ball over the crossbar.
Xabi Alonso made changes in hopes of turning the game around, but they didn’t work.
One of Real's starting players, Vini Jr, had two great chances to equalize.
First, he missed a header from close range, and then he volleyed over at the far post after being left alone by the City defense.
Alonso’s last gamble was bringing on Endrick, who came close to scoring with a header that hit the crossbar.
In the end, City withstood a lot of pressure in the final stages and defended well to secure a big win in their push for automatic qualification to the last 16.
The final whistle in Madrid was met with lots of whistles and jeers, as Alonso faces even more pressure after two consecutive home defeats.
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