Manchester City - Real Madrid summary: score, goals, highlights, Champions League semifinal first leg
Manchester City 4-3 Real Madrid: as it happened
Guardiola didn't look like a coach who had just won a game at the end of the match. He was notably terse, responding in monosyllables, almost impolite in the post match interview. He knows that a one-goal advantage is not so much to take to the Bernabéu, although it's true Real Madrid need to go out and win. Alfredo Relaño takes a look.
Man City threw everything at Real Madrid, and came away with the not inconsiderable haul of four goals. The only problem - Ancelotti's side somehow kept finding a way to come back. When Benzema stepped up to take the penalty that would make it 4-3, Pep Guardiola couldn't even watch...
That's all from us tonight.
Thanks for joining us for a seven-goal thriller and see you next time!
If you like goals then Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final was the game for you. Manchester City went in at half-time in the first leg at home 2-1 ahead. By the time the 82nd minute came around seven goals had been seen with the scoreboard showing 4-3.
And that’s how it ended, setting up a very special return leg in the Spanish capital, where they could set a new UCL record.
Karim Benzema played his 600th game for Real Madrid tonight.
The appearance brought Benzema level with the club legend Gento, who ended his successful career with the Spanish giants on 600 games.
The Frenchman will certainly be expecting several more as he chases others up the table, although Raúl (741) and Casillas (725) are possibly beyond his reach.
Benzema's panenka
Terry is indeed right to point out that Benzema missed TWO penalties in his last game against Osasuna. Both efforts were saved by Sergio Herrera in the Osasuna goal.
Joint-highest scoring ever Champions League semi-final
Man City 4-3 Real Madrid is the joint-highest scoring ever Champions League semi-final, along with Ajax 5-2 Bayern Munich (April 1995) and Liverpool 5-2 Roma (April 2018).
Stat via Opta
Vinicius: "It's so difficult to play against a team like City."
Vinicius also gave his thoughts after the thriller in Manchester:
"We're never happy with a defeat. I'm happy with the attitude of the team against a team like City with a great manager. It's so difficult to play against a team like City.
"We'll have to improve, we can't concede so early again and we need to improve if we want to get to the final.
"I don't know what to say about Benzema! He's my brother and he's a great player."
Benzema: "I've a lot of confidence in myself"
Karim Benzema has spoken to Movistar after the match:
"A defeat is never good. We had hope coming into this one and we fought till the end. Now we need the fans more than ever and win the second leg.
"City are a good team and we struggled at times, we were lacking a bit of everything, pressure, confidence...
"The penalty [panenka] was all about confidence. I've a lot of confidence in myself. I've done it and it's all good."
Man City win 4-3 at the Etihad
Man City have won the first leg, scoring four goals at home against Real Madrid.
FT: Man City 4-3 Real Madrid
A fantastic first leg comes to an end at the Etihad. Seven goals on the night and all to play for at the Santiago Bernabéu in the second leg.
Foden crosses, Militao heads it away!
City have a corner!
A couple of security men have calmly taken him off the pitch and play resumes.
And we have a boy on the pitch. He's only about 8 or 9 but he's out looking for a last minute selfie.
Benzema has been sensational in the second half.
There will be three minutes added on.
Foden is down. Carvajal catches him and it's a free for City.
Can Madrid make it 4-4?
Madrid change
OFF Vinicius
ON Asensio
Benzema goes on a solo run before picking out Vinicius. The Brazilian fires over to cheers from the City fans.
Mahrez whips it in from the right. Dias is at the back post but there's too much on the cross for him to connect with it.
City 4-3 Madrid
Benzema bags a brace. This time it's from the spot.
This has been just incredible. Seven goals at the Etihad! Real Madrid games in the Champions League have been rollercoaster rides this season.
Benzema scores his 14th Champions League goal of the season!
Man City 4-3 Real Madrid
Benzema goes straight down the middle with a panenka as Ederson dives to his left. The absolute confidence to do that.
The absolute cheek, wow!
KARIM BENZEMA scores with a panenka!!!
Karim Benzema has the ball on the spot...
There's a handball in the box. It comes off Laporte!
REAL MADRID HAVE A PENALTY!
OFF Modric
ON Ceballos
Modric makes some space and gets away from Rodri, who falls over. The Croatian's effort from outside the box goes wide.
Guardiola goes for the Diego Simeone move late on in the game, demanding more from the home fans.
City 4-2 Madrid
City extend their lead with Silva's rocket.
It could have been five!
Mahrez dances past three Madrid players but his shot goes wide from a very tight angle.
Man City 4-2 Real Madrid
Silva picks it up just outside the box, makes a yard for himself and buries it past Courtois into the top corner.
It's an absolute screamer by Bernardo Silva!
Goooooooooooooool!!!
BERNARDO SILVA!!!
Modric is operating closest to Benzema in attack.
With that change, Valverde has moved from the centre to the right wing. Camavinga is now playing central with Kroos and Modric.
Real Madrid change
OFF Rodrygo
ON Camavinga
Zinchenko crosses low from the left this time. It's right on Laporte's foot but he hits it straight at Courtois.
Fernandinho crosses into the box from the right. Carvajal, who has played well, heads it away.
Tonight is Karim Benzema's 600th game for Real Madrid.
Madrid have the ability to hit City on the break every time, but City continue to dominate the ball in central zones.
Benzema gets to the byline and crosses into the box. Laporte reads it so well and heads away. Vinicius was there to head home but the centre-back does superbly.
Vini wondergoal
Madrid can't get their heads around that Vinicius goal.
Marcelo and Asensio are warming up for Madrid.
Every time Vinicius touches it, there is panic in the air at the Etihad. He links up again with Benzema on the left. City eventually clear.
Vinicius really fancies his chances against Fernandinho at right-back. Modric and Kroos will be looking for the young Brazilian at every opportunity.
City 3-2 Madrid
So we've had five goals so far and still have over 30 minutes to go. It's a fantastic tie.
That is absolutely sensational from Vinicius. He dummies it through Fernandinho's legs and runs from the halfway line before slotting past Ederson from a tight angle.
It's MAN CITY 3-2 REAL MADRID
What a goal! What a game!
Goooooooooooooool!!!
VINICIUS SCORES!!!
Pep Guardiola gets a yellow card for protesting. City lead 3-1.
It's far too easy as City win it back and Fernandinho crosses it to the back post for Foden to head past Courtois.
GOAL! PHIL FODEN MAKES IT 3!
What a season this has been for Karim Benzema. Tonight's appearance puts him level with the Real Madrid legend, Gento.
Madrid have gotten away with it again. Mahrez has had a lot of joy down the right. He could be on a hat-trick. Pep can't believe it. It remains 2-1 to City.
Mahrez smacks the post. It's sloppy defending by Madrid. Carvajal then saves Foden's effort on the line.
David Alaba has a bag of ice on his leg and that explains Ancelotti's decision to take him off.
This will be a fascinating second half.
It's 2-1 to Man City if you're just joining us.
Madrid get us underway for the second half.
Real Madrid change
OFF Alaba
ON Nacho
Carlo Ancelotti and his players are on their way out for the second half.
Number 13 for Benzema
Karim Benzema has now scored 13 Champions League goals this season.
Can he grab a brace for Los Blancos tonight or even another hat-trick? He really is a remarkable player and the Ballon d'Or talk has understandably started.
Madrid still in the tie
Benzema and Modric have a chat as they walk down the tunnel at half-time.
City could be leading 4-1 but Madrid have gotten away it and have Benzema to thank for keeping them in the game.
HT: Man City 2-1 Real Madrid
City lead 2-1 at the break thanks to early goals from De Bruyne and Jesus. Benzema scored for Madrid to keep the tie alive as City threatened to grab a third.
We have one minute of added on time.
It is indeed De Bruyne, but his free is straight into the wall.
Jesus is fouled by Kroos about 25 yards from goal. The Etihad chants 'Oh, Kevin De Bruyne'.
Mahrez gets more joy down the right. He cuts back onto his left and crosses into the box, but Alaba heads it away.
Mahrez's free from the right is pushed away by Courtois. The Belgian has been exceptional this season and couldn't do much about either goal tonight. City lead 2-1 as we approach half-time.
Benzema scores for Madrid
Benzema has Madrid back in the game with a volley.
That's a blow for City, with Stones going off. Fernandinho goes to right-back. Vinicius will be licking his lips.
Man City change
OFF Stones
ON Fernandinho
Madrid are coming into this. Rodrygo lines up a shot that tests Ederson. He pushes it out for a corner. Militao heads Kroos' corner over the bar.
Ferland Mendy sends in a cross from the left for Benzema to volley home with his left foot. Benzema scores his 13th Champions League goal of the season.
Goooooooooooooooooooooool!!!!
KARIM BENZEMA!!! Who else?
Zinchenko shoots from distance but it's always curling away from Courtois' goal. City continue to threaten but it's Madrid who need the next goal otherwise they have an absolute mountain to climb.
ALABA heads wide!
Benzema crosses from the left. Alaba's header flashes just wide of the post. That was a huge Chance for Madrid.
2-0 is a dangerous lead as they say.
FODEN! It's so close...
City could be winning 4-0.
City rip Madrid apart on the break. It's 3 vs 2. De Bruyne picks Foden out on the left channel. He's through on goal but puts it wide.
MAHREZ!
It's a huge chance to make it 3-0
Mahrez smashes the ball into the side netting with his weaker right foot.
Guardiola sprints off his seat to scream at Mahrez, probably for not squaring it.
The one thing Madrid have is European experience. There's a long way to go in this tie.
Guardiola has admitted that of course, they cannot compete with history - Madrid having played in the last four 31 times to City’s three.
Madrid couldn't have imagined a worse start here. It's the complete opposite of what happened against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Militao gives a horrible back pass to Courtois. The Belgian can't keep it in. City have a corner on the right. De Bruyne and Mahrez stand over it.
It falls to Foden at the back post. Alaba blocks his shot.
Some good play down the left sees Benzema link up with Vinicius. The latter shoots wide but there's a deflection and it's out for a Madrid corner, which they fail to make the most of. It's 2-0 to City if you're just joining.
City score two
City are only the second side in Champions League history to score twice in the first 11 minutes of a semi-final match. (Opta)
City find themselves two goals to the good after just 11 minutes. This could be a long night for Madrid. Pep will want his side to keep the ball and add to their lead. Madrid are struggling to get a grip of it in midfield.
Jesus doubles City's lead
The Brazilian scores four against Watford on Saturday and returns with a goal tonight.
Man City 2-0 Real Madrid
De Bruyne crosses from the left. Alaba miskicks it before it falls to Jesus, who scores from close range. It's a nightmare start for Madrid at the Etihad. Benzema is furious.
Goooooooooooooooooooool!!!
JESUS SCORES FOR CITY!
Laporte moves left to prevent Rodrygo from making his way into the box. The Brazilian has been impressive of late. Casemiro is out tonight, meaning Valverde has tucked into the middle alongside Kroos and Modric. This move has paved the way for Rodrygo on the right.
Stones and Bernardo Silva are doubling up on Vinicius down the left. The Brazilian drives forward but the City pair win the ball back.
City are pressing high with Jesus and De Bruyne the most advanced. Mahrez is playing off the right.
De Bruyne fouls Militao. Madrid have a free-kick deep in their own half.
De Bruyne strikes first
Kevin De Bruyne heads City in an early lead.
That really came out of nowhere - to be honest there wasn't much time for it to come out of anywhere - City moved it around after the kick-off, then suddenly Mahrez appeared on the right, cut back and sent a PEACH of a ball diagonally across the Madrid defense to find De Bruyne, who met the cross perfectly with his head despite the attentions of Carvajal. 1-0 City and that's left Madrid stunned!
Mahrez dances past three Madrid players before sending in a super cross. De Bruyne creeps in at the back post to head past Courtois. What a start for City!
GOAL!
Kevin De Bruyne puts City ahead after just 90 seconds!
City are playing in their sky clue colours from left to right. Madrid are wearing their navy away kit and play from right to left.
City get us underway!
Captains Ruben Dias and Karim Benzema shake hands with the officials ahead of kick-off.
AS prediction: Man City 2-1 Real Madrid
The Champions League anthem is being booed at the Etihad.
Hey Jude rings out at the Etihad as the home fans wave their blue and white flags.
Both teams are in the tunnel at the Etihad!
Real Madrid XI
Real Madrid line up as follows at the Etihad. Kick-off is just 10 minutes away!
- goalkeeper
- 1Courtois
- defenders
- 4Alaba
- 3Eder Militao
- 23Ferland Mendy
- 2Dani Carvajal
- midfielders
- 8Kroos
- 15Federico Valverde
- 10Modric
- forwards
- 20Vinicius Junior
- 21Rodrygo
- 9Benzema
- substitutes
- CoachCarlo Ancelottis
- 14Casemiro
- 11Marco Asensio
- 25Camavinga
- 5Jesús Vallejo
- 12Marcelo
- 18Bale
- 19Dani Ceballos
- 22Isco
- 17Lucas Vázquez
- 13Andriy Lunin
- 6Nacho
- 40Toni Fuidias
Man City XI
Pep Guardiola lines his team out as follows this evening.
- goalkeeper
- 31Ederson Moraes
- defenders
- 5John Stones
- 11Zinchenko
- 3Rúben Dias
- 14Laporte
- midfielders
- 16Rodrigo
- 20Bernardo Silva
- 17De Bruyne
- forwards
- 9Gabriel Jesus
- 26Mahrez
- 47Foden
- substitutes
- CoachJosep Guardiolas
- 33Carson
- 13Zackary Steffen
- 10Grealish
- 90Romeo Lavia
- 8Gündogan
- 7Sterling
- 56CJ Egan Riley
- 79Luke Mbete
- 87James Mcatee
- 80Cole Palmer
- 25Fernandinho
- 6Aké
Madrid players warm up
Real Madrid players warm up at the Etihad ahead of kick-off. Tonight's first leg gets underway in less than 20 minutes.
Man City vs Real Madrid
Real Madrid and Manchester City had met previously in the competition, in the 2012-13 group stage. Under Mancini, the relatively green City pulled possibly the worst group in recent Champions League history, going up against Ajax, Madrid and eventual finalists Borussia Dortmund, who still then had Robert Lewandowski leading the line – the Poland striker famously put four past Madrid in the first leg of the semi-finals.
City finished bottom of Group D with three points, missing out on transfer to the Europa League to Ajax, who managed four. Still, City were at least unbeaten at home, securing a 1-1 draw against Madrid, a 1-1 against Dortmund and a 2-2 when Ajax came to town. Away, they were beaten by all three, conceding seven and scoring three.
The semi-finals of any competition is an exciting time for all concerned, but it’s a stage that comes at you as a hugely contrasting double-sided coin. On one side, it’s smooth, clean and polished, in mint condition. That is for those that qualify for the main event. The other is a rough, dirty and rusty version, one that you’d likely throw away and forget about. Few remember the semi-final losers.
Could yellow cards mean suspension for Champions League Final 2022?
Calum Roche has the latest
The stage is set
The Etihad ahead of kick-off. The fans are slowly making their way into the ground for tonight's first leg between Man City and Real Madrid.
Real Madrid arrive
The Real Madrid team arrived at the Etihad earlier, fully focused on the task at hand. A draw tonight would be a good result for Ancelotti's men.
Pep Guardiola will match his old foe José Mourinho for the Champions League record of most appearances as a manager when Manchester City host Real Madrid at the Etihad on Tuesday night.
The Portuguese provocateur currently stands alone at the top of the list of coaches with the highest number of European Cup / Champions League managerial appearances but will be matched by his old sparring partner Guardiola when City and Madrid go toe-to-toe again.
Mourinho has eight Champions League semi-finals to his name, with two tournament victories at Porto and Inter. Curiously, when Mourinho was at clubs with more spending power than the Portuguese and Italian sides, he fell short in every semi-final he reached, three with Chelsea (two of them lost to a pre-Jürgen Klopp Liverpool) and three with Real Madrid.
David Nelson has all the latest team news for you ahead of tonight's mouthwatering clash in Manchester.
Kick-off approaches
Kick-off at the Etihad is less than an hour away. The teams are in. It's City vs Madrid in the semi-final of the Champions League.
Tomorrow night sees another Premier League side welcome a LaLiga side, when Liverpool host Villarreal at Anfield.
Man City starting XI
Almost an hour after Ancelotti's team was revealed, we have Guardiola's. Gabriel Jesus starts in attack after scoring four against Watford at the weekend.
Sterling, Gundogan and Grealish all start on the bench for City.
Champions League nights
With the talent on show tonight, this one should be a belter.
Ancelotti's side have already won in England this season, beating Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge earlier this month.
The Madrid players have the Champions League experience. City are the better team but they have never won the competition, which makes for a fascinating tie.
City welcome Madrid for another European clash
Manchester City and Real Madrid will lock horns again in the Champions League semi-finals in a repeat of the match-up between the sides at the same stage in the 2015-16 competition.
Those two games did not live long in the memory, a solitary deflected Gareth Bale strike (which went down as a Fernando own goal), breaking the monotony of a 180-minute contest neither side decided to attack in any meaningful way.
Two seasons ago, the sides met again in the last 16. On that occasion, Pep Guardiola got the better of Zinedine Zidane over two legs, carving out a 4-2 aggregate victory that was largely inspired by Gabriel Jesus, who found the net in both legs.
Matchday scarves
All your half and half scarves at the Etihad pre-match. Fans from both sides begin to gather here on a sunny evening in the blue half of Manchester.
If I'm being honest, I was never really a fan of the half and half scarves.
Etihad Stadium
Tonight's venue is the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.
City played here on Saturday, beating Watford 5-1 in the Premier League, as they battle it out with Liverpool for the title.
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Real Madrid are closing in on the signing of Antonio Rüdiger.
The Chelsea defender has played a key role in getting a move to Real Madrid by reducing his financial demands.
Man City team news to follow
We'll have the City team news for you as soon as it's in.
Real Madrid XI
Carlo Ancelotti has announced his team two hours before kick off at the Etihad, something that has become a habit for the Italian.
It's an attacking looking eleven for Madrid in Manchester. Casemiro misses out. Rodrygo starts on the right wing.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid: welcome!
Hello and welcome to AS USA's live coverage of this Champions League semi-final between Man City and Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium.
Kick-off is a 9:00 pm local time / 3:00 pm ET