18/04/2024
By the time the game ended, it was 3:30 AM in India, way past the time I hit the sack. But today, it took another hour after that for my mind to calm down, before I collapsed into a deep slumber. Who cares though? What a contest it was; a shame that penalties were needed to break the deadlock. Manchester City had 33 attempts compared to Real's 8. Even those who watched the game would believe that Guardiola's side had the better of exchanges. While City may have been at Real's neck for much of the 2nd half, and lackluster finishing did let them down, it would be unfair to believe that Ancelotti and Real just about got away with the away tie at the Etihad. What they demonstrated was a masterclass in football defending; such was their discipline and grit, that even the class of KDB, Foden, Haaland and Silva combined rarely got a decent crack at goal up front. Some were complaining about Courtois missing for Real at goal, but Lunin did not blink during those 120 minutes, not even once. And when the Real forwards cut loose, which was rare, they made it count, like the Rodrygo goal assisted by Bellingham and Vini. As the commentator said, Carlo Ancelotti came to Manchester to get his ring kissed by Pep Guardiola.
The first leg last week at Madrid was a rip roaring contest and it was unfair to expect a carbon copy last night. City were expected to dominate at home, with Walker fit and KDB starting. Real knew that the task was cut out for them; they had to be mentally tough and disciplined for the unrelenting attacks that were inevitable. They had just the men for those fast counter attacks however, in Vini and Rodrygo and the latter showed why he is rated so highly and the absence of a proper No 9 makes no difference to Real. Bellingham beautifully controlled a high ball before passing it onto Vini, who found Rodry in the right spot for the first goal. Just after, it was as if someone had flipped the switch for the game to go on overdrive. Grealish was on turbo mode, looking threatening every time he had the ball on the left flank. As expected, Rudiger and Carvajal stuck to Haaland like shadows and while the Norwegian did get a couple of opportunities, it now feels like he doesn't make it count in these big contests. Pep gave the much needed adrenalin shot when he introduced Doku in the second half. The Belgian, like a slippery eel, breached the Real penalty box time and again, only to be let down by poor finishing. KDB should have scored a second from where he missed and Foden just could not get out of his right corner. Kyle Walker proved why he is indispensable for the City back line, one particular piece of defending stands out in my mind where he tracked back and held Vini at bay inside the City PB. No drama, no needless fouls, just pure, old school defending.
No word of praise is high enough for how Real defended, especially Dani Carvajal. Who would believe the Spanish centre back is now 32, the way he kept up with men more than a decade younger! Rudiger was his usual solid self and lets not forget how Kroos and Camavinga dropped deep to keep the defense impregnable. Valverde was everywhere, tracking back to defend if not helping build an attack. It is surprising how underrated some of these players in the European leagues are, compared to some who are hyped up by the 'pundits' . Yes, I am looking at you EPL! For Lucas Vasquez, who came in late, his penalty kick was a revelation; ice cold. Bernardo Silva on the other hand, would want to forget his in a hurry.
A tactical masterclass by Carlo Ancelotti and a lesson in old school Italian style defending. With Arsenal also knocked out last night at Munich, the English challenge in this year's UCL is over. But the tournament is just getting started with PSG, Bayern and Real in the fray for the semis. And I am getting ready for more sleepless nights.
