Wednesday’s Champions League quarterfinal between Manchester City and Real Madrid couldn’t be settled in regulation or two periods of extra time. The past two Champions League victors settled things in a penalty shootout after playing to a 1-1 draw, and Real Madrid scored a 4-3 shootout victory to stun the reigning Champions League victors.
With the shootout tied 3-3 after two saves by Real goalkeeper Andriy Lunin and a save by Man City’s Ederson Moraes, the fate of the match rested on the leg of Real’s Antonio Rüdiger. He sent the ball to the left side of the net past Ederson to secure victory.
Real Madrid advances to the semifinal round and will face Bayern Munich, which topped Arsenal in Wednesday’s other quarterfinal.
The victory avenges a 4-0 loss to Man City in the second leg of last year’s Champions League semifinal. It also quashes Manchester City’s bid for an unprecedented second consecutive treble.
Man City dominates ball, loses match
Man City and Real Madrid entered Wednesday’s second leg of the quarterfinal tied after a 3-3 draw last week in Madrid. It took less than 12 minute for Real Madrid to stun the home crowd in Manchester.
At the 11:40 mark, Vinícius Junior took a pass down the right side of the box from Valverde, then delivered a cross to Rodrygo in front of the goal. Ederson rejected Rodrygo’s first effort, but Rodrygo was there for the rebound and sent his second shot to the back of the net.
Just minutes later, Man City came excruciatingly close to an equalizer. Bernardo Silva headed a rebound from the right side of the box in front of the goal. Erling Haaland was there waiting and sent a header toward the top of the goal.
The ball glanced off the crossbar back to the field directly in front of Silva. But it bounced off Silva’s knees and out of bounds wide of the goal.
The disappointment was evident across the faces of Man City players and coaches. The game went into halftime with Real Madrid leading 1-0.
But the relentless Man City pressure ultimately broke through. Virtually the entirety of the second half played out in front of Real Madrid’s goal as Man City dominated time of possession. At the 75-minute mark, that pressure paid off.
Real’s Antonio Rüdiger rejected a cross in front of the goal, but the ball bounced directly in front of City’s Kevin De Bruyne, who took advantage. He sent the ball over the hands of Lunin to the top of the net to get Man City on the board and tie the game 1-1.
Neither team would score again in regulation. Thirty minutes of extra time also passed without a goal, sending the fate of the Champions League quarterfinal to penalty kicks.
Crushing loss for Man City
The shootout loss was particularly painful for Man City, which dominated with a 2-1 edge in time of possession and sought to secure an elusive double treble after winning the Premier League and FA Cup in addition to the Champions League in 2023. A second consecutive treble was in play until Wednesday’s loss.
The loss also snapped a remarkable stretch of home dominance for Man City, which last lost at Etihad Stadium in Champions League play on Sept. 18, 2018, to Lyons. Until Wednesday, it had since gone 27-0-2 at home in Champions league matches. That stretch included 12 straight home wins leading into Wednesday’s quarterfinal.
For 14-time Champions League victor Real Madrid, the win means a chance to add to its record tally. It stays alive for its 15th title and second in three years.
Bayern Munich edges Arsenal in other quarterfinal
In the other quarterfinal Wednesday, Bayern Munich advanced past Arsenal with a 1-0 victory. The two sides entered Wednesday tied in the aggregate score after a 2-2 draw in the first leg last week in London.
Bayern needed just one goal Tuesday to secure victory and send its home crowd into a frenzy.
Defense dominated early as the game went into halftime in a scoreless tie with a single shot on goal by either side. At the 63-minute mark, Bayern Munich finally broke through.
Raphaël Guerreiro sent a cross down the baseline from just outside the left side of the box. Joshua Kimmich was waiting in front of the goal and headed a laser past the outstretched hands of goalkeeper David Raya into the back of the net.
Arsenal got three shots on goal for the day, but none of them found the net. When the final whistle sounded, the party started in the Allianz Arena stands.
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich will face off April 30 in Munich and May 7 in Madrid with a spot in the Champions League final at stake. The winner will take on the victor between Paris Saint-Germain and Dortmund in the other semifinal.
