Champions League: Real Madrid scolded City for another epic comeback and will play the final

The old aristocracy of European football has defeated the new elite that built its power in the 21st century and will reclaim the Champions League crown this year. Although for this it is necessary to water the lawn of blood, sweat and tears. In an epic comebackAs happened against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, Real Madrid beat Manchester City 3-1 in extra time and met Liverpool, who eliminated Villarreal on Tuesday, for the decisive rivalry on May 28 at the Stade de France of Saint-Denis.

After falling in a crash last week at the Etihad Stadium, the Spanish team faced a historical challenge: He has a mission to overcome a semi-final key of the Champions League, something he has not achieved in the previous eight occasions where he was defeated in the first leg. However, it came this time then come out of the darkness at the Bernabéu in round of 16 and quarter-final matches against PSG and Chelsea.

Unlike what happened on English soil, where they conducted a give and take battle, this time the contest is less addictive and more thoughtful. In the first chapter, the locals, more balanced in the middle thanks to the presence of Brazilian Casemiro (he left the first leg due to a muscle injury), had a better start, though there was no depth to worry Ederson .

As the minutes passed, the visit, more patient in unfolding, moved actions into enemy territory and devised the clearest maneuvers of attack in those first 45 minutes, but ran into the security of Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian had to roll to prevent his fence from being breached first by a right foot from Portuguese Bernardo Silva and then by a volley from Phil Foden’s crescent.

Due to the need to score at least one goal to keep their chances alive, Carlo Ancelotti’s team came out more determined after the break and came within a few inches before breaking the goal before 20 seconds of action, but Vinícius Júnior missed after Karim Benzema’s pass-goal.

Anyway, the Spaniards did not raise an open-face rivalryknowing the danger it posed against an opponent who, despite a winding second half against Atlético de Madrid in Wanda Metropolitano for the quarterfinals, showed impressive skill in playing away from home (he won of 14 in his last 22 games in the fight in continental tournaments).

Phlegmatic and calculating, supported by favorable results, the City waited their moment and, when they could impose their vertigo, applied the cross to Madrid’s jaw which seemed certain to tilt the contest: In a maneuver that started in his place, led by Bernardo Silva from the center circle, Gabriel Jesús took advantage to take some marks and assisted the Algerian Riyadh Mahrezwho fired an uncontrolled left-footed shot at the nearby post.

With less than 20 minutes to play and two goals behind, the locals found themselves facing a intricacies as hard or more difficult than what he had been able to solve on the two previous occasions. Playing on the attack, he was about to receive the knockout hand several timesbut Courtois kept him in the game.

No one suggested that the story could have consequences other than what seemed written. But Madrid, pressed by the clock, showed why they are the king of this competitionas Guardiola pointed out, and in the blink of an eye he forced the extra time pushed by the unexpected protagonist who was on the field for just over 20 minutes: Rodrygo.

The Brazilian, who has scored four goals in the last four games, was sent with a doublet in a mess, first took advantage of a class A assist from Benzema and then had a header on the side of the six -yard box. The City lived a Deja. Vu in the final minutes of the siege he had to endure against Diego Simeone’s Atlético, but this time with no happy outcome.

After leading for 179 minutes, since the goal scored by Kevin De Bruyne at the dawn of the first leg, City found themselves in a consistent situation virtually unknown in this series. And he couldn’t touch her. At the start of extra time, Madrid took advantage of the clean and jerk and went to the front. The person in charge of carrying out the return could be none other than Benzema.

The Frenchman was knocked down by Rúben Dias in the area and, in his usual cold, he traded the penalty for a qualifying goal. It was his 15th in this edition of the Champions League and 10th in the direct elimination stage, where he equaled a mark that seemed unbreakable and that of Cristiano Ronaldo was established, along with the merengue jacket, in the 2016/17 season.

It’s time bahala na, Guardiola’s team besieged Courtois ’goal as best they could, but the chapter on exploitation had already been written. The nouveau riche Briton, who has won 16 local titles in the last decade, since the arrival of Emirati banknotes issued by the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment, has suffered a new setback in a continental competition, as happened in him last year. , when Chelsea beat him in the final in Porto. Old Real Madrid, the first champion of this competition in 1955, will be looking for its 14th trophy.