FULL TIME: Manchester City 0-0 Real Madrid
Not an ideal result for City, then, especially with Ronaldo missing and Benzema out of sorts. An opportunity missed. But they began to rock a little towards the end of that second half, and Real could easily have snatched a precious away goal that would have made things awfully difficult at the Bernabeu. (Hats off to the excellent Joe Hart for keeping it goalless.) So as things stand, they’re still right in this tie, just 90, perhaps 120 minutes plus penalties, away from their first-ever European Cup final! The dream is not yet out of reach.
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90 min +3: With the box loaded, De Bruyne goes for the top left, in an attempt to catch Navas out. Navas tips the ball over the bar, but nothing comes from the resulting corner. That’s it!
90 min +2: De Bruyne turns on the burners down the left and outstrips Carvajal, who brings him down cynically. A yellow card, taken for the team. But a free kick just to the left of the area! Some late, late drama?
90 min +1: There will be two added minutes. The first passes without drama.
90 min: Aguero finds himself in a rare bit of space down the inside-left channel. He’s got Sterling in acres to his right, and finds him. But Sterling, running powerfully down the middle towards the box, takes a heavy touch and allows Pepe to come across and block clear. For a split second there, before the ball touched Sterling’s boot, City fans permitted themselves to dream.
89 min: Isco comes on for Kroos. Perhaps Real are going to give it one roll of the dice after all.
88 min: Real are sitting back. City are meanwhile knocking it around the middle of the park in the unambitious style. It looks as though, for very different reasons, both teams are settling for the 0-0. It’s a good result for Real, while City have been rocking a little, and can’t afford to lose.
86 min: Modric looks to slide Lucas Vazquez clear into the box down the right, but Clichy reads the danger well and clears. That was close.
84 min: City respond with a rare sortie into the Real box, but Iheanacho and Aguero can’t get anything going from a tight position down the left. “What is it with ZZ and his touchline inappropriate skinny pants?” wonders Ian Copestake. “Does the man never learn or has he mysteriously run out of fat burning pills? D’oh.”
82 min: Bale opens his body and sends a screamer of a free kick towards the top left. But the ball slaps off Otamendi’s face and out for a corner on the left. The set piece causes all sorts of bother in the City box. Bale flicks on to Pepe, six yards out, who chests down and smacks the ball goalwards. Surely it’s in! But Hart once again gets himself in the road. He’s fast becoming City’s hero tonight. What a save! That was Schmeichelesque.
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81 min: Marcelo looks for a penalty kick as he charges down the inside-left channel and goes over Fernando’s outstretched leg. A foul, inches outside the area. A marvellous decision by a referee who has been on top of everything tonight. But this is a free kick in a very dangerous position.
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79 min: Bale turns with purpose down the left and earns a corner for Real. It’s whipped in high. Casemiro rises, six yards out, and heads down goalwards. Hart does very well to adjust himself and block with his feet. City are beginning to cling on here.
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77 min: Jese slipped a ball down the inside-right channel for Lucas Vazquez to chase. He enters the box and goes down, suggesting he’s been clipped from behind by Otamendi. That’s not clear at full speed, or on the replay. Who’d be a referee? City don’t make a fuss of it, while Real don’t go big either. City need to step it up a gear, though, and to this end replace Navas with Sterling.
75 min: Now it’s Bale’s turn to come in from the right. He looks to curl one into the bottom left corner, and it’s not far off, though again Hart, at full stretch, looked to have the angles covered. Real are getting very close, though. City are beginning to lose a little control here.
73 min: Real are turning up the heat now. Modric glides in from the right and attempts to find the far corner with a rising shot. It’s well over the bar. The home fans are falling quiet for the first time, as this game enters a very tense period. City need a goal, but it’s even more important that they avoid conceding.
71 min: De Bruyne scampers down the left, and swings a ball into the box for Aguero. The cross doesn’t find his man. City claim a penalty, suggesting the ball hit Carvajal’s hand. But they’re not getting it. Real swish up the other end, Lucas Vasquez making space down the right and swinging a high cross into the centre. Jese rises above Fernando and his header loops over Hart and off the top of the crossbar! Hart probably had that covered, but only just. The closest we’ve come to a goal tonight.
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68 min: Corner for City down the right, Navas doing the work. De Bruyne and Navas exchange crisp passes from the corner, the former scampering into the box. But De Bruyne’s low cross-cum-shot is easily gathered by Navas.
66 min: A rare shot on goal, as Kroos shifts the ball inside from the left and has a slash from 20 yards. The ball bumbles harmlessly out of play to the left of the goal, Hart trotting over to watch its progress with detached interest.
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65 min: It’s a little bit scrappy all of a sudden. Pepe clips Aguero to the ground down the City left, Jesus Navas barges Casemiro to the floor on the right. The fans still belting out Blue Moon. The atmosphere has bubbled along nicely all evening.
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63 min: Lucas Vazquez goes scampering down the right and very nearly tears clear, but Kompany comes across to take charge and shepherd the ball out of play. Frustrated, Lucas Vasquez wrestles Kompany to the ground as the pair skitter towards the advertising hoardings. Kompany gets up and complains not a jot; it’s the rough and tumble he expects at this level.
62 min: This game has developed a pleasing basketball-style rhythm, with both sides taking turns to launch attacks. Problem is, everything’s getting broken up by the time they reach the final third, at either end of the pitch. Something’s got to give soon. Hasn’t it?
59 min: City are looking to move through the gears. First De Bruyne busies himself along the left to win a corner he subsequently wastes himself. Then Auguro dribbles with power down the right, entering the box only to be denied by a brave grab at his feet from Navas. The Real keeper takes a clank upside the head for his trouble, but it’s all accidental, and the play soon moves on.
56 min: Referencing the old-fashioned British comedy tradition, it appears Zidane has split his trousers, while jumping around in irritation at the Bale penalty claim. Frank Randle would surely approve.
54 min: ... a goalkeeper is forced into action! The corner finds Ramos, eight yards out. He should score, really, but blasts his header straight at Hart, who claims and sets City away on the counter. Iheanacho works away down the left, nearly getting a shot on target from a tight angle but settling for a corner. City’s set piece is sent long. Kompany, on the right-hand corner of the six-yard box, eyebrows a lame header out of play on the right, but he was shoving illegally anyway.
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53 min: Real turn up the gas a little. Modric very nearly releases Marcelo into the box down the left with an insouciant flick of the outside of his boot. Then Marcelo dribbles down the same wing and is upended by Kompany. The free kick is scooped into the area, forcing the impressive Otamendi to head behind for a corner out on the right. From which ...
51 min: Jese causes a bit of bother down the right, earning a corner off Otamendi. Kroos swings the set piece into the mixer, but it causes no bother. City clear with a yawn.
49 min: Ramos, attempting to trap a long City hoof, takes a majestic fresh-air swipe at the ball. No danger results, but that’s entertained the masses.
47 min: And now Real come at City with purpose. Bale powers down the right and enters the area. He tries to go past Otamendi, and nearly manages it, but trips over his own feet. He wants a penalty, but the referee - who has got every decision right so far - isn’t having a bar of it. Bale theatrically throws his arms around in disbelief, and on the touchline Zidane vogues in similar style. But no.
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46 min: Nearly a dream start to the half for City! Fernandinho slips a simple ball down the inside-left channel to release Aguero into space. He’s got Real defenders guarding the edge of the box, so is forced to have a dig from distance. His rising screamer only just clears the crossbar, though Navas almost certainly had it covered. Still, that’s as good as anything we saw in the first half.
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And we're off again!
Real get the ball rolling for the second half. Jese has come on for Benzema, who might still be struggling with the injury that cut his weekend La Liga appearance in half. “Ronaldo? Even his name is a knock-off.” ” Justin Kavanagh, ladies and gentlemen. He’s here all week, try the artisan Scotch egg.
Half-time entertainment: Madrid’s first visit to Manchester, back in 1957, in which local concern United fail to complete a five-goal comeback, and instead attempt to pull Manuel Torres’s arms and legs off, one by one. Something for everyone in here.
HALF TIME: Manchester City 0-0 Real Madrid
Marcelo, on the left-hand corner of the City box, loops long for Benzema, who nearly connects at the far post. But City clear, and that’s that for the first 45. Real perhaps shaded it, certainly towards the end of the half, though neither goalkeeper has had their gloves warmed yet. It’s cagy, as you’d expect from the first half of four in a European Cup semi-final, but it’s been fascinating nevertheless. The next 45 minutes will be some of the biggest in City’s history. You’d think they need a goal. See you soon: no flipping!
45 min: Real are pushing hard for that crucial away goal. Pepe is found in space down the right. He reaches the byline and pulls the ball back for Benzema, who leans back and scores some rugby-union points. A poor effort, that, considering he had a little time to control and perhaps advance on goal.
44 min: Now it’s Bale’s turn to skitter around down the left flank. He wins a corner off Otamendi, who comes over to block the inevitable cross. Kroos’s corner is headed clear at the near post by De Bruyne. City could do with the half-time whistle.
43 min: Marcelo twists and turns down the left, and is eventually allowed to cross low by Sagna. Real have players in the box, but Kompany reads the danger well and intercepts, then blooters clear.
41 min: The game restarts, but City don’t. First Bale has a lash from 25 yards on the right. His shot whistles inches wide of the bottom corner, but he was offside anyway. Then a loose Kompany pass allows Benzema to dribble with purpose towards the City box, straight down the middle. He’s got Lucas Vazquez free to his right, but can’t find him as City swarm well to crush the danger.
40 min: A visibly distraught Silva walks off the pitch to be replaced by Kelechi Iheanacho. That’s a dreadful stroke of luck for one of City’s most dangerous players, though Ihenacho has 11 goals to his name this season, and will carry no little threat himself.
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39 min: Another break in play. Silva appears to have injured himself while stretching to foul Bale. He’s feeling the back of his leg and shaking his head quite a lot. This could be a huge loss for City.
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37 min: A shot of Ronaldo on the Real bench. He’s taken his headphones off. No cans. Unless Argos have shipped him those in-ear numbers by courier. Meanwhile on the field, Silva absurdly trips Bale from behind, as the Real winger trots out of his own half. A daft yellow to pick up.
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35 min: A break in play as Lucas Vazquez is treated, having been winded by Kompany, who accidentally kneed him in the chest. He’ll be fine by the looks of it. And indeed there he is, up and about, with a face on. This is nicely spiky, without being nasty. It is a Champions League semi-final, after all.
33 min: Bale looks to power-turn Kompany down the left wing. That occurred near the centre circle, but if Bale had won the duel, he would have been free in a lot of space, with Benzema waiting to make a decisive run from the other flank. Kompany fouls smartly, and gets away with a long chat from referee Job.
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30 min: Quite a few tasty challenges flying in right now. Casemiro comes through the back of Aguero, then Sagna flies in late and studs showing on Ramos. The referee is being very lenient tonight, a fair enough approach providing he doesn’t flip like peak-era Howard Webb and start flashing the yellow willy-nilly. “Freekick taking coathanger!!!!!” guffaws Andy Gordon. “Ronaldo is good but no Dimitri Payet. And physiognomically speaking, a clothes horse would be more apt.” Peace and love, remember, Andy, peace and love.
27 min: Fernandinho runs down the right and is upended by Ramos. Just a free kick, which results in a little game of head tennis before Silva loops a cross from the left out of play. No yellow for Ramos for that challenge, which is fairly fortunate as he was late, and also planted his boot on Ferdandinho’s ankle. You’ve seen reds for contact like that, though in fairness to the defender, his boot appeared to bounce off the ball a split second before studs hit bone, so it didn’t seem deliberate. A yellow for clumsiness would have been fair. The City player is fine, though, which is the main thing.
25 min: The free kick’s sent deep, and finds the head of Kompany, level with the left-hand post, eight yards out. Kompany should do a whole lot better than flumping a header straight down into the turf. There’s a free kick for tugging and fussing, and the pressure on Real is relieved.
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24 min: Now it’s City’s turn to press, and press again. De Bruyne strides down the right channel and strokes a pass forward for Aguero, who can’t quite get a shot away. Pepe clears. Then another wave of attack, and De Bruyne opens his legs on the same flank. He’s in a bit of space, to the right of the box, and is flipped into the air like a fried egg by Pepe, coming across to cover for the out-of-position Marcelo. That’s a booking, and a free kick in a very dangerous position.
21 min: Real are stepping it up a bit here. First Bale bursts into space down the right after a sloppy mistake in the centre of the pitch by Kompany; City’s captain clears up his own mess by forcefully heading the resulting cross clear. Then Carvajal makes good down the same flank, but his deep cross is cleared by Sagna. A lot of audible teeth sucking in the City stands. Real don’t half carry some threat, Ronaldo or no Ronaldo.
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20 min: Lucas Vazquez dribbles with extreme prejudice down the right wing, and nearly works the space for a shot in the box. Otamendi slides across, the ball clanking back off the Real attacker for a goal kick.
18 min: Marcelo tries to send Benzema off down the left wing with a silky backheel. The ball is shanked off into the dugouts. The crowd enjoyed that, but full marks for ambition.
16 min: De Bruyne threatens to burst into acres of space from deep on the left. He leaves Pepe for dead, but is stopped in his tracks by a fine sliding tackle from Casemiro, coming across to cover. De Bruyne so close to breaking clear there. He’s a magnificent player. This is a fun, lively game.
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14 min: Fernando tries to slip Aguero away with a sliderule pass down the inside-left channel. If he’d weighted it properly, the striker was clear. But the ball fizzes out of play. “Perhaps Ronaldo is not sporting headphones but gold plated heated ear-muffs,” suggests Mark Judd. “He knows it can get chilly in Manchester so came prepared.” Maybe. The size of them would suggest they can also control his central heating back at home.
13 min: Bale makes good down the right and manages to dig out a cross from a tight position. The ball loops into the City box, where Benzema takes a fresh-air swipe at it. That would have been a hell of a volley had he connected - Zidane-esque - so no shame in that.
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11 min: Casemiro absolutely clatters Fernandinho in the centre circle. (Not a euphemism.) You’ve seen yellow cards given for that, too, but to be fair the Real midfielder was simply done by a sassy sashay; it was clumsy rather than malicious. The referee once again goes for the Benefit Of Doubt option. Sensible and fair. This could all make for a very competitive game.
9 min: City are pressing hard, and pressing well. De Bruyne slips a ball out wide to Navas, whose deep cross finds nobody. Not entirely sure where Aguero or Siva were there; not in the box, that’s for sure. It was a decent ball from a player who sometimes flatters to deceive.
7 min: Silva drops a shoulder and zips down the left for the byline. He should earn a corner off Carvajal, but the referee gives the defender a generous benefit of the doubt. It’s a lively start, with both teams showing plenty of attacking intent. “There is nothing about Ronaldo that is anything other than cheap market knock off,” opines Ian Copestake. “It’s what makes him so saleable. In summary, he’s a freekick taking coathanger. Peace and love.” Yes, that last line will calm even the most defensive internet fan down, won’t it. So it’s probably worth pointing out, in the name of journalistic balance, that Lionel Messi has also signed some marketing deals in his time, too. Peace and love, everyone, peace and love.
6 min: City settle a little, and Fernandinho escapes the attention of Kroos down the right, nearly sending Aguero into space. Nothing doing this time. City come again, Clichy swinging a ball into the Real box from the left. Aguero’s sniffing around, but Navas is off his line quickly to claim. The fans are still giving it plenty. A perfect, crackling mix of excitement and nerves.
4 min: City struggling to hold onto the ball at the moment. The lively Benzema spins Otamendi down the right as he chases a Pepe pass. Otamendi slides in to take him down. Just a free kick, though you’ve seen referees in Europe dish out cheap cards for that; he was coming in from the side, but also slightly behind. Thankfully, the referee has more sense. But Otamendi has already felt the danger posed by Benzema. He’ll need to think on.
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2 min: But the visitors are quickly on the front foot. Benzema forces Kompany into the concession of a corner down the Real right. Clichy gets a firm head to the set piece, and clears City’s lines with minimum fuss.
And we're off!
City get the ball rolling on the biggest night in their history, and pass it around the back a bit. A couple of touches for both of the central defenders, forming an unlikely partnership tonight. Kompany to Otamendi, Otamendi to Kompany. A hearty rendition of Blue Moon pours down from the stand. Nobody standing alone tonight. This is on!
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What an atmosphere at the City of Manchester Stadium! The fans making a hell of a racket. With their team two-thirds of the way along the Road to Milano, we’d expect nothing else. As well as a beautiful noise, it’s a glorious sight, with supporters waving huge shiny blue and white flags, the colours spelling out C-I-T-Y across the stand in large letters. The teams take to the field, and the place erupts. City in their famous powder blue, Real in third-choice dark blue. We’ll be off in a minute!
Manuel Pellegrini speaks! “Maybe this is the most important game this club has played in its history. So it is very important not to miss this chance. We must play our football and try to beat Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo is a very important player for them, but they have a great squad and just because he is not playing, it doesn’t mean we will have an easy game. It is important that all our players perform well. Both teams will attack. We must try not to concede a goal, but we need to score, so I think it will be an open game!” What a lovely man. We’re going to miss him when he’s gone.
Zinedine Zidane speaks! “This is an important competition for us. I would say that, after the World Cup, the Champions League is the most important competition. Real Madrid must reach the top every time. Even if we win it I would not be considered a great manager. Longevity will prove whether I am good or not.”
Shane O’Leary however is less interested in how Zizou rates in comparison to the Jose Villalongas, Vicente del Bosques and Carlo Ancelottis of this world, and more in the crude cans on Cristiano’s lugs. “I’m no expert,” he begins promisingly, “but surely at least part of the point of being Christiano Ronaldo would be the ability to get a pair of headphones that didn’t look like a cheap market knock off? They probably sound great though.”
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Poor old Ronaldo, who trudges onto the pitch at the City of Manchester Stadium, looks over to the Real supporters with puppy eyes, and gives them a theatrical thumbs down. Damn that thigh injury. Or perhaps he ordered some neat little in-ear headphones from Argos, but got sent these gold-plated monstrosities instead. Either way, this is only the third match he’s missed since February last year. Some appearance record for an old soldier, huh.
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Some big team news: no Cristiano Ronaldo for Real Madrid! Having tweaked his thigh against Villarreal recently, he doesn’t even make the bench tonight. But Karem Benzema, who limped away from the Rayo Vallecano game at the weekend, has recovered.
Meanwhile there’s no Yaya Toure for Manchester City. The big man jiggered his thigh against Stoke City at the weekend. His inability to recover has saved Manuel Pellegrini a decision: Toure’s been hot and cold all season, and wasn’t exactly missed during the insouciant swatting aside of PSG in the last round. Meanwhile captain Vincent Kompany returns, so it’s all welcome news for the home side right now.
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Tonight's teams
Manchester City: Hart, Sagna, Kompany, Otamendi, Clichy, Fernandinho, Fernando, Jesus Navas, De Bruyne, Silva, Aguero.
Subs: Caballero, Zabaleta, Sterling, Kolarov, Delph, Mangala, Iheanacho.
Real Madrid: Navas, Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo, Modric, Casemiro, Kroos, Lucas, Benzema, Bale.
Subs: Casilla, Varane, Rodriguez, Kovacic, Jese, Isco, Danilo.
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey).
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🎼 ♫ Die Meister BOO Die Besten BOOOOOOO Les grandes équipes GERROFF BOOOOOOO The champions ♪
This is Real Madrid’s 27th appearance in the semi finals of the European Champion Clubs’ Cup. No breaking news here. But tonight also marks the first of another famous old club. Nearly forty-eight years after making their continental debut, Manchester City are competing at the business end of the Champions League at long last. Welcome to the top table, City. What’s kept you?
What’s kept them? City being City, of course. Back in 1968, their first European Cup adventure ended almost as soon as it started, an over-confident Malcolm Allison seriously underestimating Fenerbahçe. He’d done no research. They’d have to wait another 43 years for a second crack, at which point they developed the unfortunate habit of being drawn in groups of death containing hardened European campaigners: Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli. And once they finally found a way to clear those particular hurdles, they kept drawing peak-era Barcelona in the Round of 16. Typical City.
But something changed this year. Having been taught a harsh lesson in the first group game by Juventus, who executed a textbook smash and grab at the Etihad, City toughened up. And how. They could easily have lost to both Borussia Monchengladbach and Sevilla, but turned each match around, scoring a pair of glorious last-minute winners. They then went to Spain to steamroller Sevilla, so long unbeatable at home: there’s been no better performance by anyone in Europe this season. Though their controlled home win over Paris Saint Germain in the quarter finals ran it close: easy, easy. All of a sudden, City are the real deal. Could they win their first European Cup? If they play like they did against Sevilla and PSG, why not?
Real Madrid will have something to say about all this, of course. They’re on a five-match winning run, scoring 18 times along the way, James Rodriguez, Lucas Vazquez, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and of course Cristiano Ronaldo bang in form. They’ve never lost to City, coming from behind at the Bernabeu to win a group game 3-2 in 2012, and drawing the return in Manchester 1-1. And Madrid have won on their last three visits to England, against Tottenham Hotspur in 2011 (1-0), Manchester United in 2013 (2-1) and Liverpool in 2014 (3-0). Then again, they’ve lost five of their last six Champions League semi-final ties, so it’s very much swings and roundabouts.
We’re hoping for a classic. It’s sure to be epochal. It kicks off at 7.45pm in Manchester, which will be 8.45pm over in Madrid. It’s on!
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