Real Madrid and Manchester City want more: 1-1 at the Bernabéu and series open for the Champions League semi-final

Chapter one of the eagerly awaited Champions League final at the Santiago Bernabéu between Real Madrid and Manchester City ended in a 1-1 draw and everything remained open for next week’s rematch in England. The game was interesting, but not exciting. Perhaps because the best is yet to happen.

Playing against Real Madrid in the Champions League is the closest thing to impotence. It’s demoralizing to have the Spanish cast in front of you, especially since that wise coach named Carlo Ancelotti is in charge. You don’t have to be a keen student of the game to understand what Madrid will be up to during the 90 minutes. But it is impossible to counter. There is a little magic in what happens with meringues. Because not even the best of all, Pep Guardiola, has the recipe for dealing with what everyone knows is about to happen.

The resignation lashes out, then. Those senseless passes with which Manchester City ended the first half were the product of the brawl. Same thing with that slap Jack Grealish gave Dani Carvajal. Real Madrid’s strategy sucks your energy, makes you look lost, aimless.

The Spanish team handed the ball and space, leaving the English to stand up and play their touch game. Those led by Guardiola looked to move quickly to the rival field to manage possession from there. John Stones was a full back for the first outing and a central midfielder for the long run. And City’s first quarter of an hour was good: they made Thibaut Courtois work a lot, who almost always replies. Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri tried from the outside and the Belgian had the corner cleared. Erling Haaland also had a couple, but weakly defined.

Real Madrid were planted with a 4-3-3 which was sometimes a 4-1-4-1 or a 4-2-3-1. Modric started as an inside left and came out as a forward. Subtleties of first-level football. But the main thing was what can be done even in a neighborhood game: hand over possession and wait patiently. After all, what works best for Madrid.

The local fought, made a bad face. Antonio Rüdiger (replaced suspended Militao and put in a great performance) faced Haaland in the first meeting they met. As the minutes wore on, those led by Ancelotti began to feel more at ease. The Municipality has not found spaces. And Eduardo Camavinga, central midfielder turned left-back, began to take off. With a couple of runs that ended in nothing, the Frenchman was booked. Until after 35′ he blocks with Modric (Rodri and Walker baffled), goes up the pitch several meters, leaves it to Vinicius and the Brazilian cues from Ederson’s right corner with a powerful shot from outside. It was a perfect counterweight. The blow has been given; the spider had bitten. Demoralization was underway.

Real Madrid came out better in the complement, more self-confident, arrogant. He even moved a few feet ahead of the field of play and even challenged City’s tenure (finished 56-44 in favor of the host). And it was closer to second than the English to draw. But at this level, the highest on the planet, one detail is everything.

Camavinga played badly and Rodri, that midfielder who increasingly emulates Sergio Busquets, was astute in anticipating the move to centre. That action, that recovery, was fundamental because Madrid were out of place. Later, Gündogan left it served to De Bruyne who took out a cartoon from his right hand: it looked like the tiger shot, a shot made popular by Steve Hyuga of the Super Champions (or Captain Tsubasa), that anime that is still very popular in the world. Yes, it was a great goal. The feeling was that only a perfect shot could beat Courtois.

In the end, the place cheered up a little more. Ederson made a couple of good saves. Guardiola chose not to make any changes and Julián Álvarez watched the entire duel from the substitutes bench.

The match cost City a little more than Real because they were unable to prevail: they didn’t have great passing fluidity. Also, he failed to attend Haaland. Gundogan was uneven and the wings, Grealish and Silva, weighed no weight. That’s why parity was better suited to those commanded by Guardiola, who will play their revenge in their own stadium…