Real Madrid beat Manchester City 3-2 in the first leg of the play-off for the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League at Etihad Stadium last Tuesday, February 11.
Erling Haaland scored a brace for Manchester City, but Kylian Mbappe, Brahim Diaz and Jude Bellingham did for Real to seal their victory.
City led 2-1 with a few minutes remaining of the stipulated time, but Real Madrid scored in quick succession to win the match and take a crucial advantage to the second leg at home next week.
Erling Haaland Shone for Manchester City Yet Again
Haaland’s brace for Manchester City took his season’s tally of goals to 27 in 34 matches this season.
Only Robert Lewandowski, who has scored 31 goals for Barcelona, has more goals among the players playing top-flight football in Europe.
The second of Haaland’s goals came from a penalty, but Mbappe scored his 24th goal of the season to equalize for Los Galacticos after the Norwegian had scored his first goal.
However, Ederson’s mistakes proved to be costly for the home side, as they suffered yet another defeat from an advantageous position in the Champions League.
They had earlier lost to Paris Saint-Germain after being 2-0 ahead in the group stages of the Champions League earlier this season.
The defensive frailties continue to haunt them even into the second half of the current season.
Pep Guardiola has had a humbling experience this season after his wonderful run as the Manchester City manager for a number of years.
Should his team not be able to qualify for the Round of 16 of the Champions League, the Spaniard will run the risk of enduring his worst season as a manager yet.
However, Haaland continues to shine for the English champions and now has 117 goals in 132 matches for the English club.
That is a wonderful record by any standard, as the 24-year-old Norwegian keeps making his claim as the premier No. 9 in the world.
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Tough Road Ahead
City will take on Newcastle United, Real Madrid, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in their next four matches.
Such a sequence of matches can be nauseating for any team in the world and the Cityzens simply cannot continue to have glaring weaknesses in their defence.
The matches against Real and Liverpool, especially, will demand more from the Manchester City defence.
It has been a while since Guardiola’s men have kept a clean sheet against a top team.
Even a team stacked with top attacking players as Manchester City need to see out matches after having taken the lead, irrespective of the quality of the opposition.
It is imperative for the Cityzens to alter their playing style somewhat to make sure they do not squander leads and grind out victories after having scored goals.
The Premier League title is already beyond their reach and bowing out of the Champions League will only add to their woes.
It remains to be seen whether they are able to improve their form in the crucial upcoming matches, including the ones against Real and Liverpool, this month.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Action Plus
Recording Date: 11.02.2025