MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 11: Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid and Kylian Mbappe celebrates … [+] victory following the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off first leg match between Manchester City and Real Madrid C.F. at Manchester City Stadium on February 11, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Real Madrid couldn’t make anything of a glut of early chances against Manchester City on Tuesday night, but took their very last one thanks to a joint effort from Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham.
Bellingham’s 92nd-minute strike gave Real Madrid a narrow 3-2 advantage going into the second leg of this Champions League knockout round playoff.
It was a late goal changed in an instant the whole dynamic of a tie that might have already begun to slide away from Pep Guardiola’s side.
An England midfielder may have taken the game-winning headline, but within this match was a battle of star number nines and a man of the match performance from Vinicius.
Haaland Versus Mbappe
Real Madrid’s French forward #09 Kylian Mbappe (L) pull sthe jersey of Manchester City’s Norwegian … [+] striker #09 Erling Haaland during the UEFA Champions League football match between Manchester City and Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on February 11, 2025. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
It could be said that the battle of number nines, in isolation, was won by Erling Haaland, but City couldn’t turn the Norwegian striker’s brace into a win in their home leg.
Real Madrid’s number nine, Kylian Mbappe, missed numerous chances but eventually managed to get his name on the scoresheet with an improvised finish in the second half.
It canceled out Haaland’s first-half strike, and though Haaland gave his team the lead again from the penalty spot, a goal from former Man City attacking midfielder Brahim Diaz saw Madrid equalize for a second time.
Then came the final blow. City looked vulnerable in defense, as they have done all season, and an awkward, loose pass from Mateo Kovacic put Rico Lewis in trouble and Vinicius struck, lobbing Ederson before Bellingham beat Stones to the ball to turn it into the net.
“We’ve taken a small advantage away and it was a good game for us. I think we need to be happy with the result,” said Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti.
”We had a lot of chances but City also played well, were good offensively, and created problems for us. It gives us a lot of confidence for the next games.”
Stop Crying Your Heart Out
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 11: Fans of Manchester City display a tifo which reads ‘Stop crying … [+] your heart out’ which includes a picture of Rodri of Manchester City kissing the Ballon d’or trophy prior to the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off first leg match between Manchester City and Real Madrid C.F. at Manchester City Stadium on February 11, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Ahead of the match, Man City fans held a banner bearing the title of the Oasis song “Stop Crying Your Heart Out” and an image of Rodri winning the Ballon d’Or.
It was aimed at Vinicius and his legions of upset fans who thought the Real Madrid star should have won the award, but as Ancelotti said after the game, this only served to motivate the Brazilian winger who was a force of nature throughout.
“Looking at the game, if he’s seen [the banner], it’s been a huge source of motivation for him, said Ancelotti. “Today he was very dangerous at all times, as the whole front four were.”
In the build-up to the game, Manchester was coated in its trademark drizzle. Even the elaborate light display before kick-off depicted a cloudburst as part of its on-field montage, but once the game started there was an early storm for the home side to weather, much of it involving Vinicius.
He went past Ruben Dias with ease on the halfway line, feeding Mbappe whose shot was smothered by Ederson.
Ferland Mendy had a shot blocked crucially by Nathan Ake shortly after, and Vinicius poked another attempt at Ederson following another break.
It was a surprise the score was still 0-0 after this full-on barrage, but little by little City came back into it, and at times even looked like they would emerge as the winner.
Guardiola Goes With Center-Backs
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 11: John Stones of Manchester City reacts during the UEFA Champions … [+] League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off first leg match between Manchester City and Real Madrid C.F. at Manchester City Stadium on February 11, 2025 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Molly Darlington/Copa/Getty Images)
Getty Images
The game had disjointed periods throughout. For all the wealth of talent on show, it was at times a scrappy affair, but in many ways it was more entertaining for it.
Real Madrid fans cheered just as loudly for a Raul Asencio tackle on Kevin De Bruyne as they did for the goals. Its dynamic was as much FA Cup as Champions League.
City took the lead when Jack Grealish’s ball into the area was chested by Josko Gvardiol into the path of Haaland who directed his shot past Thibaut Courtois.
One-time center-back Gvardiol has been one of City’s biggest attacking threats in recent times playing from left-back, so it was no surprise to see him involved in this manner.
What might have been a surprise was Guardiola’s selection of five players, including Gvardiol, who have played center-back at one time or another.
As well as the Croatian at left-back, Manuel Akanji was at right-back, John Stones operated in the center of midfield, while Dias and Ake formed the central defensive pairing.
In attack, Guardiola’s City lined up a 2-3-5 formation with those two wide defenders joining Stones in midfield, and Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne moving into the forward line.
Man City lineup / formation vs Real Madrid. Reverting the pyramid.
— James Nalton (@jdnalton.bsky.social) 2025-02-11T20:06:49.244Z
This lineup was disrupted, firstly when Grealish went off injured in the first half and again when Akanji departed at halftime.
Advantage Real Madrid
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 11: Brahim Diaz attacking midfield of Real Madrid and Spain … [+] celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off first leg match between Manchester City and Real Madrid C.F. at Manchester City Stadium on February 11, 2025 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Jose Hernandez/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Anadolu via Getty Images
Lewis, Akanji’s replacement, played well against Madrid’s world-class attack but was sold short by a pass from fellow substitute Kovacic in the passage of play that led to Real Madrid’s winner. It could be the turning point in the tie.
Guardiola said after the game that this is the best Real Madrid has played in the four times the two have met in the Champions League in the past four seasons. The side from the Spanish capital would expect to be more comfortable and in charge of the game at home.
Though Real Madrid’s advantage is only one goal, on the evidence of tonight’s game they should be able to finish the job in the Bernabeu on February 19, unless, somehow, City can catch a little break in Spain and keep their Champions League hopes alive.
