Manchester City left stunned as Real Madrid comeback twice to secure a memorable win
- Mayank Srivastava
- Feb 12
- 3 min read
Real Madrid completed a sensational turnaround to beat Manchester City, 3-2, at the Etihad Stadium in the first leg of the knockout playoffs of the UEFA Champions League.
Erling Haaland’s tremendous brace seemed to have ignited the spirit in the hosts, as they managed to battle it out with Carlo Ancelotti’s men right till the dying moments of the game.
However, the Los Blancos managed to come back twice in the game, cancelling both of Haaland’s goals, and even managed to eventually complete a memorable turnaround with Jude Bellingham’s 90+2nd-minute winner.
Real will be thrilled to take a one-goal lead for the second leg at the Bernabeu, with many fans and pundits believing that the tie might already be over for Manchester City.
Real Madrid always find a way in the Champions League
From Sergio Ramos’ late header to Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat trick, Real Madrid's phenomenal history in the Champions League has been an inspiring one, full of comebacks and late winners.
Madrid went down by a goal on two occasions last night, but managed to come back on both occasions.
Kylian Mbappé’s flying volley was the Galácticos’ first equaliser, following Erling Haaland’s early goal in the first half. Brahim Diaz’s strike after Ederson’s save was their equaliser, again cancelling out a Haaland goal.
And then finally, Jude Bellingham's winner in the additional time from a mistake by Rico Lewis sealed the deal for Carlo Ancelotti, as Real secured only their second win against City under Pep Guardiola.
Last night's incredible performance will go down in the history books of Real Madrid as a part of their most memorable victories in the prestigious Champions League.
Manchester City’s chances look very bleak now
Losing out in the home leg has surely put City in a terrible spot. Having a disadvantage heading into the fortress Bernabeu, many fans believe that City’s chances of trying to get past Real Madrid are now “next to impossible.”.
Manchester City’s sloppiness cost them again, with their vulnerable backline making several errors last night, with 2 of them directly leading to goals.
City’s marking was also terrible last night, with the defenders moving out of their positions, leading to their shape being broken.
“Absolutely ridiculous”: Jamie Carragher slams Manchester City fans for their gesture
One of the most notable moments of last night’s clash was before the kick-off, when Manchester City fans aimed a major dig at Real Madrid and particularly Vinicius Junior with a massive tifo banner.
The tifo showcased a picture of their star midfielder Rodri, holding his recently won Ballon d’Or trophy, with a caption reading “Don’t cry your hearts out.”.
While the banner was meant to try and provoke the visitors, it instead seemed to have sparked more motivation in them, leading to their incredible win.
Pundit Jamie Carragher has pointed out the same and called the gesture of trying to provoke Real Madrid “absolutely ridiculous.”.
Speaking in the post-match analysis on CBS, Carragher said, “It's absolutely ridiculous. We love a laugh and a joke, but what do you gain from that? Why annoy people? Wind somebody up? Do it at the end when you knock them out.” (sic)
He further added, “I don't know what you get out of it? It's not funny tonight, you just got beat. If I were a Man City player, that would annoy me, it's like a jinx. I don't like stuff like that. Why wind up some of the best players in the world?”. (sic)
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