Real Madrid 1–2 Man City: Thoughts on a Tense, Gripping First Leg
Note: This story was originally published in the spring of 2020
We are roughly two weeks removed from the first leg of this year’s Round of 16’s most-anticipated tie, Real Madrid vs Manchester City. Here are my thoughts on an intense match that could prove to be pivotal for City’s Champions League campaign:
There was a moment at the Bernabéu on Wednesday night so subtle that even the most avid observer of the game could be forgiven for dismissing it. Following Isco’s opener against the run of play in the 60th minute, Madrid had their tails up for the first time in the match. City had lacked bite in the final third despite creating the lion’s share of the chances, and suddenly they were not just trailing by a goal but seemed close to going down two. Raheem Sterling came on for Bernardo Silva and then, in the 75th minute, Zidane replaced Vinicius Jr. with Gareth Bale. The Welshman was greeted politely by the home faithful, but there was an unmistakable hint of reservation amidst the lukewarm applause. After all, Vinicius had flickered throughout and had ultimately been the one to provide the decisive assist up to that point. Bale, meanwhile, despite his brilliance of years past, seemed a lackluster and uninspiring choice.
On another day, it may not have mattered, this most routine of managerial changes. But this was no other day, and City, despite their struggles, would show enough character to make it theirs. An effort from Bale was deflected, collected easily by Ederson. The buzz of the Bernabéu dipped to something of a lull. A minute or two later, City began an ordinary-looking attack down the left flank. Sterling turned and fed Kevin De Bruyne who darted toward the byline. A quick spin was followed by a look up that revealed Gabriel Jesus (covered) as the lone option in the box. No matter. If football at the highest level is a game decided by the smallest of margins, it stands to reason that the difference between the good and the great ones is just a few inches in the crucial moments. The Belgian’s cross had just a bit more on it than usual, so that it floated over Sergio Ramos and dipped toward the head of City’s №9. A half-push from Jesus didn’t interest the referee. The header was far from brilliant, but enough to beat Courtois on the bounce from close range. It deflected off the keeper’s palms into the net, and from seemingly nowhere, City had their all-important equalizer, and an away goal at that.
Madrid looked rattled by how swiftly the complexion of the tie had changed. It showed, moments later in Carvajal’s challenge on Sterling inside the penalty area, and who else but City’s maestro stepped up to take the PK. A Bernabéu that’s slightly stunned remains a hostile place, and one wondered whether Courtois knew the spot-kick preferences of his international teammate. The short of it: no. De Bruyne’s run-up was short and efficient, and the finish was understated yet as unmistakably clinical as the footballer himself. Here was the master of Guardiola’s midfield doing exactly what was required, no less and no more. If in years past it was his exemplary quality that shone through, on this night one sensed his maturity and leadership had come to the fore. Kevin De Bruyne’s City had not been at their best, but in a few minutes he may have done enough to reverse their recent European history. To win it all this year, they can no longer afford to be the side that plays glittering football in England, only to be shocked in dramatic fashion in Europe. There were hints of sheer bloody-mindedness akin to what Liverpool have shown all year in the Premier League, a grit and focus on getting the job done that must satisfy Guardiola more than his side simply playing the ethereal tiki-taka football he has come to embody.
With less than five minutes to stoppage time, the turnaround felt complete as Madrid’s skipper Ramos received a red card for a last-man challenge on Jesus. He will miss the game at the Etihad, which puts City more firmly in the driver’s seat approaching the second leg of this tie. Of course, there is still much work to be done. But on this night, though it was a tight-run thing, they were good enough to edge Real Madrid for a famous win.
