After astonishing 90 minutes of attacking soccer, Manchester City beat Real Madrid in their Champions League semifinal first leg 4-3 at the Etihad on Tuesday.
The three first-half goals were surpassed by four in the second half, with Los Blancos staying within striking distance ahead of next week’s second leg in Madrid despite perhaps not deserving to.
Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring with a header from a Riyad Mahrez cross in just the second minute.
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De Bruyne then teed up team-mate Gabriel Jesus to double the home side’s lead after 11 minutes.
Karim Benzema halved the deficit out of nowhere with a brilliant first-time finish before half-time.
Phil Foden restored his side’s two-goal advantage with a close range header from Fernandinho’s cross.
Vincius Jr responded for the visitors immediately with a fine finish after a stunning individual run.
Bernardo Silva made it four for City before Benzema pulled one back with an outrageous Panenka penalty.
City were clearly the better team with the better chances, and anybody who witness that spectacle of soccer has to feel surprised to see Real even with life entering the second leg.
City won the xG battle, 2.37-1.48, but while the hosts were dominant with five more shots and nearly 20 per cent more possession, it was the chances they missed that will be remembered.
With a bit better finishing or a true striker (the heavily rumored coming signing of Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland, for example), they really could have put five or six past the Spanish side.
City were well on their way to a multi-goal victory multiple times in this match, with Real clawing back and leaving all to be decided at the Santiago Bernabeu.
But they ended the 90 minutes with life in a match where they looked lifeless 11 minutes in.
City were leading Real 3-1 in the 53rd minute when Phil Foden got his deserved goal, and it looked like the flood gates were about to open.
But then, with Fernandinho marking him, Vinicius Jr. pulled off one of the solo goals of the season.
