Manchester City threw record winners Real Madrid out of the competition in the first gigantic duel of this year’s Champions League. The team of start coach Pep Guardiola won the second leg of the second leg on Friday evening against Los Blancos 2-1 (1: 1) and thus defended the 2-1 win from the first leg 163 days ago. In the quarter-finals in Lisbon, the citizens of national player Ilkay Gündogan, who won the German duel with Reals Toni Kroos, will face Olympique Lyon on August 15 (9:00 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Champions League).
For Zinédine Zidane, however, an impressive series ended in the almost deserted Etihad Stadium in Manchester. As a real coach, the Frenchman had never failed to win the Champions League with three wins (2016 to 2018) if he had the chance.
Both Real conceded goals were preceded by glaring mistakes by defender Raphaël Varane. Raheem Sterling (9th minute) and Gabriel Jesus (68th) scored for City, Karim Benzema (28th) managed to equalize. After the game, the French world champion said he was sorry for his teammates. “I’m sad about it, the defeat is on me. Something like this hasn’t happened to me that often, you have to have character to come back even stronger. ”The game was led by the German referee Felix Brych.
Real wanted to take it easy after the 2-1 defeat at home in the first leg, but this approach failed early in the empty Etihad Stadium after Varane lost the ball in his own penalty area. Raheem Sterling pushed in to 1-0 for City and scored the first Champions League goal in 149 days. The suspended captain Sergio Ramos was missing from Madrid enormously as a stabilizer.
ManCity, which had its European Cup suspension lifted under much-discussed circumstances at the Cas International Sports Court, struggled for control with the lead behind them and occupied the opponent with pressing – but all defenders lost in the penalty area before the equalizer Karim Benzema (28th) out of sight. Gabriel Jesus (68th) used a second bitter mistake by the pitiful Varane.
Gündogan and Real clock Kroos occasionally got into each other’s enclosure in midfield, both of which were mostly inconspicuous. Formative players in a high-class duel almost at eye level were others.
.
