Manchester City beat Real Madrid at the Bernabéu: Champions League
Real Madrid 1-2 Manchester City: as it happened
That is indeed that! Manchester City have a famous win at the Bernabéu, and are now firmly in the driving seat to reach the quarter-finals.
After a first half that struggled to come to life, Pep Guardiola's men had dominated the opening stages of the second 45, and were entitled to feel a little hard done by when Isco put Madrid ahead against the run of play.
However, City came roaring back at Madrid in the game's final period, Gabriel Jesus' header and Kevin de Bruyne's spot-kick turning the scoreboard on its head as Los Blancos came apart at the seams.
To make matters worse for the 13-time European champions, Sergio Ramos' late red card means they'll be without their captain when they look to turn the tie around at the Etihad Stadium on 17 March.
For Madrid, it is now three defeats in their last five and, with a crunch LaLiga Clásico up next, the wheels are threatening to come off a campaign which, after their mid-season, 21-game unbeaten run, had begun to promise so much.
That's all from me - thanks for reading!
They're all over the shop, but they might have snatched a leveller there. The ball is swung into the box from the right, and falls for Ferland Mendy at the back post - but the left-back can only shin it wide.
That should be that.
City again slice through Madrid and into a shooting position in the area, but Mahrez gets his feet wrong and ends up running into Varane. The hosts are all over the shop.
Three minutes of time added on.
Sterling cuts inside and into the box, pulls one feint, pulls another... and shoots straight at Courtois.
Madrid have completely collapsed. City are heading to their first win over Los Blancos in five attempts, and could even nick a third here.
Mahrez fires the free-kick straight at Courtois.
This is going from bad to worse for Real Madrid! Sergio Ramos is off!
Jesus nips in to intercept Casemiro's sloppy backwards pass and, in the blink of an eye, is haring clear of the Madrid defence and in on Courtois. Ramos brings the Brazilian down right on the edge of the box, and Daniele Orsato has little hesitation in pulling out the red card for the Madrid captain!
Zidane responds by sending on Lucas Vázquez for Modric.
They may well turn the scoreboard on its head now! Sterling skips past Carvajal and into the box, and is brought down by the right-back for about as stonewall a penalty as you'll ever see. De Bruyne to take...
And now Mahrez heads just over Courtois' bar! City could have turned the scoreboard on its head within the space of about 90 seconds.
Manchester City are level! De Bruyne bustles his way to the Real Madrid byline before twisting and curling over a cross onto the head of Jesus at the back post. The Brazilian nods past Courtois and into the corner, but Madrid say he pushed Ramos before connecting with De Bruyne's ball.
One VAR check later, though, the goal is given! 1-1!
Bale is into the action right away, bringing the ball down on the left-hand side of the box and striking towards goal - but the sting is taken out of his effort by an outstretched leg, and Ederson gathers.
Real Madrid make their first change, replacing Vinicius with Gareth Bale. Having set up Isco's goal, the Brazilian leaves the field to warm applause.
Sterling is on for City, Bernardo Silva making way for him.
Close from Ramos! Mendy swings the ball over to Isco at the far post, where the midfielder touches it back to the Madrid captain. He hooks a volleys towards goal, but Fernandinho is there to make a crucial block!
Moments earlier, Carvajal's low ball into the middle had almost found Benzema. Madrid's goal has turned the dynamic of this second half on its head.
Having found themselves somewhat under the cosh in the opening 15 minutes of the half, Madrid are looking much more confident now.
City are preparing to bring on Raheem Sterling.
Casemiro releases Valverde on the right flank. The Uruguayan bursts forward and pings in a low cross towards Benzema, but Ederson is quickly out to gather. Decent attacking stuff from Madrid, though.
City look to respond, and De Bruyne lets fly from the edge of the box - but Carvajal is in position to block the Belgian's shot.
Moments later, De Bruyne gets to the byline and cuts it back into the area, only to find Carvajal in his way again.
And just as I say that, Madrid take the lead! Isco with it!
Walker gets himself in a right old tangle and allows Vinicius to rob him, advance into the box and square it to Isco, who is all alone in the middle. He takes a touch and slides low past Ederson, and Madrid are ahead!
What a dreadful goal from City's point of view. Walker is far too easily dispossessed by Vinicius, and as for the space Isco was left in...
Zidane is engaged in an urgent touchline conversation with his number two, David Bettoni. And well he might. Madrid have been second best since the break.
Twice Mahrez forces stops from Courtois. First, he controls at the back of the box, twists and turns, and fizzes a near-post drive straight at the Belgian. Then, a minute later, he brings down a lofted ball in acres of space inside the penalty area, and Courtois has to be down quickly to prevent the Algerian's low effort from finding the corner! That second one in particular was a real, real chance.
Walker plays a sloppy ball infield, allowing Modric to intercept and release Vinicius down the left wing with a textbook slide-rule pass. The Brazilian scampers into the City box and tumbles under the combined challenge of Walker and Fernandinho, but is never getting a penalty for that. There are only the timidest of Madrid appeals for one, to be fair to them.
Modric is the second Madrid player to get a yellow in the early stages of the second half after scything down Mahrez.
City win a corner, which De Bruyne will deliver. Madrid clear, but Vinicius slightly naively bundles over Mahrez, and the away side have the ball back. They've made the better start to this second half.
Madrid plop it about for a good minute or so in front of the City defence, but when Casemiro's attempt at a backheel doesn't come off, the visitors are suddenly bustling forward on the counter.
De Bruyne drives towards the edge of the Madrid area before feeding Mahrez, who shoot... just wide. He was trying to curl it into Courtois' top-right corner, but it was a couple of yards off target.
Valverde hauls back Gündogan, and that is the clearest-cut yellow card you'll ever see.
With Mahrez and Bernardo Silva in close attendance, Casemiro gets himself into a terrible mess on the edge of his box but falls to the turf and gets a free-kick despite barely being touched. Lucky boy.
Peeeep! We're back up and running at the Bernabéu.
No half-time changes for either side.
"They're showing each other too much respect"
"Both sides are being too cautious," says AS journalist Tomás Roncero on the Spanish radio station Cadena SER. "They're showing each other too much respect. Madrid need to go for it more."
Peeep peeep peeep!
That's half time at the Bernabéu, where it remains goalless after a first 45 that never fully exploded into life, but did see the odd chance for both sides - particularly City. Despite having less of the ball, it was they who carved out the greater number of openings.
Cleared off the line! A City corner falls to Jesus at the back of the box, and the forward thrashes it towards goal. It looks to be going just wide, but in his attempts to clear, Ramos succeeds only in turning it back on target. However, Varane is there to stop it from going in!
Two minutes of time added on at the Bernabéu.
Valverde is back on.
The 45 ends with a prolonged, heavily-whistled spell of City possession in the Madrid half... which the hosts finally snuff out, before seeking to release Vinicius on the left. He's quite easily run out of it, though.
Valverde is down and getting a thorough dabbing with the magic sponge after colliding with Benzema. The Uruguayan looks to be in some discomfort.
Benjamin Mendy curls a low ball into the Real Madrid box, but it's too close to Courtois and is easily claimed by the Belgian.
Madrid win a free-kick on the right which, in the absence of Kroos, Modric will swing into the mixer. However, Mr Orsato blows for a foul by a white shirt, and the chance is lost.
Up the other end, Jesus slips the ball into the box for Bernardo Silva to shoot - but the Portuguese misses his kick.
Gündogan is down on the turf and in need of treatment, but, unlike Laporte, seems like he'll be OK.
Aymeric Laporte's injury woes go on. The former Athletic Bilbao man is down... and can't continue. Fernandinho is on for the Frenchman, and is going to be pressed into service as a makeshift centre-back once more.
Having conceded two good chances in recent minutes, now Madrid should be ahead! Mendy sends in a cross right onto the head of Benzema, whose header is directed downwards and to the corner. Ederson does ever so well to parry, but it's straight at Vinicius... who slips with the goal gaping, and can't turn it in!
Benjamin Mendy is the first man into the book after bringing down Modric.
De Bruyne... over! Madrid have had most of the ball, but City have carved the hosts open twice in a couple of minutes now. Mendy plays it square to Mahrez, who clips a lovely first-time ball into De Bruyne's run into the area - but the Belgian's attempted curler is well off target!
Dani Carvajal loses it to Jesus, giving the Brazilian an opportunity to scamper down the left towards the Real Madrid area. Carvajal gives valiant chase and snaps at the Brazilian's heels - indeed, he needs to be careful not to give away a penalty, here - before Varane steps across to disposses Jesus.
Madrid keep it for a good while, before getting Vinicius into space to run at the City backline on the left. He barrels his way into the box, but is well marshalled by Mahrez and ends up fouling the Algerian.
There's a fine chance for City! De Bruyne threads a lovely little ball into Jesus' run into the box, and with Varane and Carvajal unsuccessfully scrambling to block his path to goal, the Brazilian cuts inside and fires towards Courtois' left-hand corner - but Madrid's keeper beats it out! That's the clearest shooting opportunity yet.
Modric is a toe away from winning the ball back just outside the Man City box as the visitors look to play it out of the back, before Benjamin Mendy leads what initially looks to be a very dangerous City attack. However, he stumbles as he looks to play Jesus into the box, and the chance is lost.
Again Madrid get to the byline. This time it's Isco, who clips the ball towards Benema on the penalty spot. Mendy is across to head it clear, but it drops at the feet of, of all people, Varane on the edge of the box. He looks to send a left-footed curler into Ederson's top corner, but it's hardly a skill he's practised in, and it flies well off target.
Just under 72% possession for Real Madrid so far. Whenever City regain the ball, Los Blancos are winning it back really pretty quickly.
Madrid put together an attack of real penetration for the first time tonight, getting Vinicius into crossing space on the left. The Brazilian cuts in and swings a ball towards Benzema at the far post, but Ederson is out to gather.
A minute later, Carvajal gets to the byline and cuts it back to the top of the box... but his ball is straight to Gündogan.
After City's assertive start to the game, it's been mostly Real Madrid ball since then. Just as I say that, admittedly, Gabriel Jesus robs Carvajal and, but for Raphael Varane's pace, would have had a very inviting chance to run at the Madrid defence. Varane intercepts, however, and the opportunity is lost.
Madrid launch their first attack of any real substance, Luka Modric pinging a pass out to Benzema on the right, where the Frenchman touches it back to Carvajal to cross - but his delivery is quickly blocked by a black shirt.
Moments later, Vinicius tries to release Isco into space on the left wing, but overhits his pass and it's out for a City goal-kick.
Karim Benzema brings up a century of Champions League appearances for Real Madrid tonight, incidentally.
City, who are in their all-black change kit, start on the front foot. Benjamin Mendy swings in a left-wing cross that the Real Madrid defence doesn't deal with properly, clearing only as far as Bernardo Silva in space on the left-hand side of the box. However, Dani Carvajal is quickly across to block the Portuguese's shot.
Peeeeep! We're underway.
Time for action!
Teams out, anthem blared, coin tossed... We're ready to go at the Bernabéu!
Tonight's referee is Italy's Daniele Orsato, incidentally.
Real Madrid vs Manchester City: how and where to watch?
Should you be wondering how you can watch tonight's box-office clash, by the way, you might wish to have a perusal of this useful article, which answers that precise question.
Zizou and Pep cross swords as coaches for first time
This will be Zidane and Guardiola's first competitive meeting as coaches, and ahead of their maiden clash they were really rather complimentary about each otherin their press conferences yesterday.
In what former AS editor Alfredo Relaño has described as a "battle of eulogies", Zidane declared Guardiola as the best coach in the world - "He's shown it at Barça, Bayern and City" - before City's boss proceeded to wax lyrical about Madrid's three straight Champions Leagues under the Frenchman, purring: "What he's done in Europe will not be repeated."
City players aren't in last-chance saloon with Champions League ban looming, Guardiola insists
With Man City facing up to a two-year Champions League ban for financial fair play breaches, Guardiola refuted suggestions that this is a last chance for his players to win the tournament with the club. "No way, these players will have a lot of chances to win the Champions League," he told reporters on Tuesday.
"We play with the king of this competition, so we know the challenge that's in front of us. But it's not the last chance. When you are going to die, after there's no more chances, but in life when you are in this business, you want to train, you want to play, and you never know what's going to happen."
Sterling on bench against "fantastic club" Real Madrid
Guardiola's decision to name Sterling among the City substitutes means that, at least initially, the visitors must do without a man who has been on fire in the Champions League in recent times. The 25-year-old has 10 goals in his last 13 competition appearances, and is City's top scorer in Europe this term with five.
Ahead of his side's tie with Real Madrid, Sterling spoke exclusively to AS in a wide-ranging interview - and didn't rule out the possibility of one day playing for his opponents, declaring: "Madrid are a fantastic club".
Ramos: "This is where the men get sorted from the boys"
With Barça due to visit the Bernabéu in LaLiga on Sunday, Real's iffy recent results have left Madridistas feeling rather jittery ahead of what is a crucial week in their campaign - particularly as memories are still fresh of the season-ending five days Los Blancos endured this time last year.
Between 27 February and 5 March, three defeats in three games (two to Barça, one to Ajax) served to dash Madrid's hopes in LaLiga, Champions League and Copa del Rey, and saw Santiago Solari given the heave-ho as head coach just four months after being appointed.
"There's no room for error," said club captain Sergio Ramos in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday. "We're in a crunch week and this is where the men get sorted from the boys."
Madrid Hazard-less once more
To make matters worse, the second of those defeats, at Levante on Saturday, saw Madrid lose 100m-euro summer signing Eden Hazard to an ankle fracture, just two games into the Belgian's return from the same kind of injury. He could now miss the rest of his maiden season in Spain.
"It's very bad he's not here," City boss Guardiola told his pre-match press conference yesterday. "I had the honour of enjoying, partly, and suffering him in England. When you see him loads you say, 'what a player'. I'm convinced Madrid made a wonderful signing. I wish he were here and I wish him the best recovery because he's a magnificent player."
Madrid host City in the midst of Real wobble
However, City tonight come up against a Madrid team who have hit a tricky patch of form, it's fair to say. Having embarked on a 21-game unbeaten run between late October and the start of February, Zidane's men have now lost two of the last four and have been leapfrogged by Barcelona at the top of LaLiga.
City yet to beat Madrid, Zidane yet to lose knockout tie
Manchester City go to Spain winless in any of their four previous Champions League matches against Real Madrid, and have lost on both occasions they've been to the Bernabéu - most recently in the 2015/16 semi-finals, when Fernando's own goal gave Madrid a 1-0 aggregate win.
Indeed, City have not only been on the losing side in all three of their two-legged Champions League clashes against LaLiga clubs (one against Madrid, two against Barcelona), but face a coach who is yet to be eliminated from the competition as Bernabéu boss.
Across his two spells at the Madrid helm, Zidane has won all 12 of the Champions League knockout ties he has been involved in.
Guardiola faces Real for first time since "biggest cock-up"
Having knocked Real Madrid out of the Champions League semi-finals while coach of arch rivals Barcelona in 2011, Guardiola tonight comes up against Los Blancos for the first time since, three years later, they walloped his Bayern Munich side 5-0 on aggregate at the same stage.
It was a defeat Guardiola later said was the "biggest cock-up" of his coaching career.
Three changes for Madrid, Sterling and Agüero on bench for City
Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane makes a trio of changes to the team that started Saturday's defeat to Levante, Ferland Mendy, Federico Valverde and Vinicius Júnior coming in for Marcelo, Toni Kroos and the injured Eden Hazard.
Meanwhile, there are two changes to the Manchester City side that beat Leicester City at the weekend, as manager Pep Guardiola brings in Nicolás Otamendi and Gabriel Jesus, who came on to score the winner at the King Power Stadium. Fernandinho and Sergio Agüero make way.
Raheem Sterling is on the bench, despite Guardiola telling his pre-match press conference that the forward is now back at full fitness and "ready" to face Madrid after missing City's last two games with a hamstring injury.
Manchester City team news
Starting line-up: Ederson, Walker, Laporte, Otamendi, Mendy, Rodri, Gündogan, Mahrez, De Bruyne, B. Silva, Jesus
Substitutes: Bravo, Sterling, Agüero, D. Silva, Fernandinho, Cancelo, Foden
Real Madrid team news
Starting line-up: Courtois, Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Mendy, Modric, Valverde, Casemiro, Isco, Vinicius, Benzema
Substitutes: Areola, Militão, Kroos, Bale, Marcelo, Vázquez, Jovic
Real Madrid vs Manchester City: hola a todos
Good evening!
Welcome to our live coverage of Real Madrid and Manchester City's Champions League last-16 first leg at the Bernabéu, in what is surely the pick of the first-knockout-round ties.
The game's 21:00 CET kick-off is just under an hour away, and the team news is in at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. So let's start with that...