At the Etihad Stadium, Real Madrid again proved why they are the competition’s dominant team by eliminating Manchester City on penalties and securing their spot in the semi-finals of the Champions League. 12 minutes in, a goal by Rodrygo gave Ancelotti’s team the lead. They will now play Bayern Munich in the semifinals. De Bruyne pulled one back in the 76th minute, but the Whites rallied with a strong, unwavering performance to force a penalty shootout and win the match. At that point, Lunin came to the fore and saved two spot-kicks in addition to giving an outstanding performance for 120 minutes. Bellingham, Rüdiger, Nacho, and Lucas Vázquez scored Real Madrid’s penalties.
It was a tight competition for the opening ten minutes. Till Camavinga had a shot on goal, the two teams watched each other closely, as if they were playing a game of chess. on the eleventh minute, Ederson made a save at the edge of the box, setting up the goal that gave Madrid the lead on the subsequent play. Vini Jr. got free down the right side and crossed the ball low into the box after Valverde placed a ball behind the defense. Rodrygo’s first attempt was saved by Ederson, and the forward stunned the Etihad Stadium by crashing in the rebound (0-1, 11th minute).
Before the half, Manchester City pulled together. The first opportunity came in the 19th minute when Bernardo’s shot sailed wide after Haaland’s header struck the crossbar. Lunin was there to push the ball behind for a corner after De Bruyne’s long-range attempt eight minutes later. Grealish broke down the left flank in the 37th minute, and although Rüdiger blocked his shot, it found its way into the side netting. In the 45th minute, De Bruyne attempted a direct corner kick, but Lunin, ever the professional, stopped it.
After the break, the hosts came out with fresh energy, but our players’ outstanding defensive efforts, supported by the inspirational Lunin, again repulsed them. After Foden’s attempt on minute 53, the goalie denied Grealish’s attempt with seventy seconds remaining. But, De Bruyne’s point-blank attempt from close range was blocked by Rüdiger six minutes later, and it hit the back of the net to square the game. Once again, the Belgian was well situated inside the box, but he rocketed over at the 82′ mark. Although both sides were putting up great effort, they would need to continue for a little while longer as the game entered extra time after the full 90 minutes.
In the opening half of extra time, with the home crowd cheering them on, Manchester City launched an offensive that required our players to dig deep. Ancelotti’s team had the better chance of the half despite the hosts’ superiority. Rüdiger’s left-footed shot whistled inches wide of the upright as Brahim moved into the box. After the change of ends, Real Madrid found another gear, but they were unable to prevent the impending penalty shootout.
Once more, Lunin was the star of the show as he stopped spot kicks from Kovacic and Bernardo Silva. Bellingham, Lucas Vázquez, Nacho, and Rüdiger all scored goals to help Real Madrid defeat the defending champions and set up a semifinal matchup with Bayern.
