Man City came from behind to beat Real Madrid 2-1 at the Bernabéu, boosting their ambitions for a place in the top eight of the Champions League.
Real, led by Xabi Alonso, are reportedly under intense pressure with two wins in eight games since the start of November, but they took the lead with Rodrigo’s first goal in 33 games.
But Nico O’Reilly equalized within seven minutes and Erling Haaland’s penalty sealed City’s victory before half-time. This was his 55th goal in just 54 appearances.
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Kris Boyd gives his verdict on Real Madrid’s 2-1 loss to Manchester City in the Champions League
City’s second win at the Bernabéu moves them up to fourth in the league table, and they will face Bodo/Glimt and Galatasaray in the new year. Real have fallen to seventh place, with Benfica and Monaco still behind them.
City achieve rare victory at the Bernabéu
This match is rarely short on drama, as it has been in each of the last five meetings of the tournament, and within two minutes the match was heating up after a lazy swipe from Matheus Nunez took down Vinicius Jr. A penalty was initially awarded, but VAR intervened as the contact was outside the box.
Federico Valverde’s ensuing short free-kick almost led to a call on Gianluigi Donnarumma, but that was just the beginning.
Rodrygo puts Real ahead with a great low shot.
Just before the half-hour mark, Rodrigo, who had scored his last goal against Atletico Madrid in March, shook off the rust by speeding past O’Reilly on the right and firing a sublime low shot past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
It was a natural lead, but it didn’t last long. Thibaut Courtois could only deflect Josko Gvardiol’s header straight back to O’Reilly, who made no mistake from three yards out to equalize for City, and the visitors were soon awarded a penalty.
Nico O’Reilly equalized seven minutes later with his first Champions League goal.
Referee Clement Turpin went to the monitor after Antonio Rudiger bundled Erling Haaland into the box, but his decision only lasted a few seconds. Haaland converted from the spot. He hit to the right, Courtois to the left.
As the final ten minutes approached, the reality of the situation finally seemed to hit Real, resulting in City falling further behind.
Vinicius Junior missed several chances to tie the game late on.
Vinicius Junior was at the heart of the game but was unable to test Donnarumma, while substitute Endrick took a deflected ball from Álvaro Carreras and headed home, but it hit the crossbar. That pretty much sums up Real’s night and current form.
Haaland: Very happy with this important victory
Man City’s Erling Haaland told TNT Sports:
“It’s difficult to come here and there are a lot of transitions in the game. We could have had another goal. In the second half, I came close and Jeremy (Doc) came close a few times, but the game was a bit of a mess. We don’t really have control and it’s difficult to come here, so I’m very happy in the end.”
“This win is really important because we lost against Leverkusen and if we hadn’t won, today could have been completely different.
“We have two games left, so now we need to finish on a strong note. If we can finish in the top eight, that’s it.”
Pep: “It’s an unbelievable result, but we’re still far from winning the Champions League”
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Manchester City’s manager talks about his team’s 2-1 victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Man City manager Josep Guardiola told TNT Sports.
“It could be better. Of course, it’s very difficult to win at the Bernabéu. Four, five, six players played their first game here, so they may not be completely ready to play at this stage like we are, but it’s a process and there are a lot of new players as well.
“We have to be happy to win here, especially in terms of points. We’ve already got 13 points, so finishing in the top eight is in our hands. That’s the goal. It was good to win here, especially after what happened against Leverkusen.”
“Rodrigo, a great player. The pace of Vinicius, Bellingham and their front line is very dangerous and that’s why we can’t stay in the top half. We need to be very committed in defending. We were a little lacking, but overall it was an exceptional effort.”
“We are (far) away. Still, we are not ready (to win the Champions League). We will be better in February. We have been here in the past, we have played more than we did today, and we have lost. Sometimes that is football.”
“The players worked incredibly hard. It was an unbelievably good result. Their mental strength is unbelievable, but there is still room for improvement.”
Bellingham: The players are 100 percent inferior to Alonso
Asked if the players supported Alonso, Jude Bellingham told TNT Sports: “100 percent.
“The manager has been great. I have a great relationship with him personally and I know a lot of the players have too. We had some great conversations internally after the draw and felt like we were going to throw that away by the last couple of games. No one is dropping tools, no one is complaining or moaning. We’re going to take it on the chin and keep fighting.”
“Regardless of what’s going on outside, we’re still trying to figure things out inside the locker room. We know that doesn’t help. One thing is how we manage the game. At certain points where we have to suffer, it feels like we’re always conceding goals and that puts us behind and we have to play that we don’t want to.”
“But we have what we need in the locker room to turn things around. Maybe we need a little bit of luck, or maybe we need to have some internal discussions. I believe that this season is not over just because we are not feeling well.”
“Way below their highest standards.”
Sky Sports’ Lewis Jones said:
“Real Madrid made two big mistakes in key moments of that game: defending the set piece that led to O’Reilly’s goal, and Rudiger’s careless foul on Haaland.
“Overall, Real Madrid were well below their best, but without many first-team players they competed and caused problems for City.
“Alonso will get a lot out of it.”
“Winning is not an option for Real Madrid”
Ben Ransom of Sky Sports News at the Bernabeu:
“On another night, Real Madrid could have scored the equalizer because of some of their plays. But on another night, Real Madrid could have conceded five goals.
“The fact that they put so much energy into the first half showed that this group of players was willing to graft on to the coach, but in the second period they lost a lot of that enthusiasm and relied on type.
“I don’t think it was a performance that would cost a manager his job, but this is Real Madrid after all and winning is not an option, it’s a necessity.
“For Josep Guardiola and Manchester City, this victory will be very sweet considering the tough night they had to endure at this stadium. They have regained control of their destiny in this Champions League group stage and could even rest some key players.”
