Manchester City defeated Real Madrid 4-3 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. The only silver lining in the Real Madrid loss was the brace by their star striker Karim Benzema. With two more goals to his name, Benzema has now become the first player after Ronaldo to score eight goals in the knockout stage of the Champions League.
The Real Madrid star Benzema is also the second player to score 40+ goals in a single season for Real. Earlier, Cristiano had scored 44 goals 2017-18 season for the same club.
@Benzema: “We need our fans and we are going to do something magical, which is to win.”#UCL pic.twitter.com/gCVFPf3Itk
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) April 26, 2022
City took the lead after 94 seconds, the fastest goal scored in a Champions League semi-final, with Kevin De Bruyne`s superb diving header after Riyad Mahrez made a piercing run at the Real defence, switched inside and then delivered a killer cross.
Guardiola`s side doubled their lead in the 11th minute through the in-form Gabriel Jesus, who scored four goals in the Premier League at the weekend, collecting a pass from De Bruyne and spinning away from David Alaba before drilling home.
Reigning Premier League champions City were on fire, running Spanish league leaders Real ragged, but Mahrez and Phil Foden were both unable to convert promising chances.
It was a spell of the game that City may yet look back on as a missed opportunity and as so often Real found a way to get themselves back in a contest that risked running away from them. The goal came via a familiar source, the Champions League`s escape artist Karim Benzema scoring a goal out of nothing as he guided a Ferland Mendy cross into the far, bottom corner with the most delicate of steers after 33 minutes.
Guardiola could be forgiven for wondering how his team`s high-energy, high-quality football had only produced a 2-1 lead at the break but there was a similar pattern in the second half. City restored a two-goal advantage eight minutes after the restart with veteran Fernandinho, on as a substitute for the injured John Stones, picking out Foden with a perfectly weighted cross which the England international nodded home.
Two minutes later though Fernandinho was caught out as he allowed Brazilian compatriot Vinicius Jr to break away past him on the touchline. The winger sprinted from the halfway line deep into the area before poking the ball past Ederson to make it 3-2 with an outstanding individual effort.
Yet again City found a way through. Real`s defence hesitated after Oleksandr Zinchenko went down on the edge of the box but Bernardo Silva pounced and beat Thibaut Courtois with a superb drive into the top corner in the 74th minute.
There was more drama to come as City’s Aymeric Laporte was penalised when the ball struck his arm in the area, after glancing off his head, and Benzema converted the penalty with a cheeky ‘Panenka’ chip down the middle eight minutes from time.
Still, City searched for more but substitute Raheem Sterling and Ruben Dias were both unable to make contact with a dangerous ball across the box and then Dias slid in again and was just inches away from a deep Mahrez cross. The score was to remain 4-3 but for those who wished this game could have just gone on and on there is another 90 minutes to look forward to next week. City, yet to be crowned European champions, were left with the strange feeling of disappointment at `only` beating Real by one goal.
Real’s Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti had similar mixed feelings to Guardiola after an entertaining night and left with some regrets but there was a hint of optimism in his analysis.
(With Reuters inputs)
