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MANCHESTER, England — Real Madrid scored two late goals to beat Manchester City 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday and take a giant step towards the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.
Pep Guardiola’s side were leading 2-1 after 86 minutes thanks to two goals from Erling Haaland, but former City forward Brahim Díaz came off the bench to equalise before Jude Bellingham scored a stoppage-time winner to stun the hosts.
It means Real Madrid will be in pole position to progress ahead of next week’s second leg at the Bernabéu.
City went in at half-time 1-0 up thanks to Haaland’s first-ever goal against Real Madrid. Kylian Mbappé equalised for the Spanish side only for City to take the lead again against the run of play. Phil Foden was brought down in the penalty area and Haaland stepped up to score from the spot. It looked at that point that City and Guardiola would take a narrow lead to Madrid. But that was before a calamitous closing spell for the Premier League side.
First, goalkeeper Ederson miscued a clearance under no pressure to gift Real Madrid the chance to equalise through Brahim. The 25-year-old had only been on the pitch two minutes before he rifled his finish into the net after Vinícius Júnior‘s shot had rebounded back off Ederson.
The City custodian was at fault again for Real Madrid’s third. Ederson was caught in no-man’s land as Vinícius ran through, lifting the ball over as Bellingham ran in to tap into an empty net — prompting wild celebrations on the Real Madrid bench.
The job isn’t done, but Carlo Ancelotti’s side will now be heavy favourites to go through.
Manchester City blow yet another lead
Throwing away leads is becoming the story of City’s Champions League campaign. This time it might end up costing them their place in the competition.
City were 1-0 up against Sporting CP and lost 4-1. They were 3-0 up against Feyenoord and drew 3-3. They were 2-0 up against Paris Saint-Germain and lost 4-2. On Tuesday night, they were 2-1 up with four minutes to go and still ended up losing 3-2.
The truth is that City were lucky to get out of the league phase after dropping so many points. In the old format, they would have been out already. It will take something miraculous in Madrid next week to save their campaign from here.
The worst part for Guardiola will be that the late implosion here was all City’s own fault. Ederson was under no pressure at all when he scuffed a kick into midfield in the build-up to Brahim’s equaliser. Then the Brazilian was caught on the edge of his penalty area when Vinícius took advantage of Rico Lewis‘ mistake to set up Bellingham. City have now conceded nine goals in the final 16 minutes of Champions League games this season. Throw in the late collapses against Manchester United and Brentford in the Premier League, and it’s becoming a serious problem. — Rob Dawson
Haaland and Mbappé finally go head-to-head
City’s Rúben Dias was categorical before the game: this was City vs. Madrid, not Haaland vs. Mbappé. But it was Haaland vs. Mbappé, wasn’t it? How could it not be, when the world’s two most high-profile forwards share the same pitch, something they hadn’t done since 2020, when they were still at Borussia Dortmund and PSG. This was a rare opportunity to compare the two, whose scarce head-to-head meetings have meant this isn’t a Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo-level rivalry. At least not yet.
Haaland drew first blood with his well-taken, 19th-minute goal. Mbappé took a little longer to get going. He spurned a great chance to equalize before half-time, found in space, with time, inside the penalty area on the left, and firing well over the bar.
Early in the second half, there was another opportunity for Mbappé, saved at close range by Ederson. Then there was his goal, a moment of comedy more than quality, the ball ballooning off his shin and into the net. It might be the luckiest goal he’s ever scored, but Mbappé didn’t care, a big smile on his face.
Then, a penalty kick for City, Haaland sending Thibaut Courtois the wrong way, to restore City’s advantage.
This personal contest ended Haaland 2-1 Mbappé. Bring on Part 2 next week. — Alex Kirkland
Supersub Brahim shows his worth
You feel a bit for Brahim. Every week, he has to compete with Vinícius, Bellingham and an in-form Rodrygo for a place in the Real Madrid starting XI. And almost every week, he has to settle for a place on the bench. But his late cameo at the Etihad showed what a useful, under-the-radar attacking option he is for Ancelotti. He’s a clever player, with a knack for finding space, and being in the right place at the right time, and his verve and instinct for finding the net started and finished the move which made it 2-2.
Ancelotti’s insistence on picking all of his “fantastic four” forwards in the starting XI means Madrid are deprived of what was previously their best, game-changing option: Rodrygo off the bench. Rodrygo is a starter now, and on recent form, rightly so. That leaves a vacancy for the player who can be Ancelotti’s first or second substitution, when the attack needs something different. On Tuesday night, that player was Brahim, and he didn’t disappoint. — Kirkland
Grealish’s moment of brilliance cruelled by injury
For a brief moment, it looked like the type of night that could have been a turning point for Jack Grealish. It was a surprise that he was playing at all after a season that has seen him overlooked by Guardiola again and again. Named in the starting XI at the expense of Foden, he produced a moment of magic to set up the first goal for Haaland.
His clipped pass onto Josko Gvardiol‘s chest made the opportunity. It should have given Grealish a huge boost of confidence. Instead, he was limping off just moments later. He looked devastated as he made his exit and was consoled on the way off by Guardiola and Haaland.
Guardiola has made no secret of his desire to see Grealish return to the level which made him a regular in the team during the treble season. His impact against Madrid was a flash of the brilliance that everyone knows he’s capable of. The danger now is that he’s facing another injury lay-off, and when he returns he’ll have slipped back down the pecking order. The arrival of Omar Marmoush in January has only added to the competition for places. — Dawson
A big night for Vinícius ends in triumph
From the moment City fans raised their “Stop Crying Your Heart Out” banner behind one of the Etihad’s goals pre-match — showing their support for Rodri in the Ballon d’Or debate — this was a night where Vinícius was always going to be scrutinized. There were boos from the home crowd from his very first touch, and every time he received the ball after that. And as you might expect from a player with his character, Vinícius raised his game in response.
He was denied an early penalty by the offside flag after bursting through the middle, and then hit the bar with a curling shot after Haaland’s opener. He was equally dangerous as a provider, putting one good ball across goal before half-time, and creating a chance for Bellingham to head wide. As the second half went on, with an opportunity to test City sub Lewis, Vinícius was more subdued, until he played a key part in Madrid’s late rally, lofting the ball over an out-of-position Ederson for Bellingham to squeeze in the winner.
Before that, Madrid’s most impressive attacker throughout the 90 minutes might have been Rodrygo, a player who loves playing City. Overall, there was more than enough from Vinícius and Rodrygo — and in the end, from Bellingham too — to suggest Madrid’s attack, with more clinical finishing, can cause City even more problems at the Bernabéu next week. — Kirkland