Real Madrid suffered another setback at the Santiago Bernabeu, just days after their defeat to Celta Vigo. The pressure surrounding coach Xabi Alonso has intensified, with many viewing the Champions League clash against Manchester City as his final major test. Unfortunately for him, Los Blancos faltered once more, surrendering a 1–0 lead and eventually losing 2–1 at home. Manchester City’s comeback win secured their position inside the top four.
City climbed to fourth in the standings with 13 points after securing its fourth victory in six games. Meanwhile, Real Madrid slipped to seventh with 12 points from one draw and two losses.
“Manchester City showed the composure Real Madrid lacked in key moments,” remarked one Spanish analyst following the match.
Haaland Shines as Madrid’s Missed Chances Prove Costly
Much of the pre-match hype centered around a potential showdown between Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland. However, Mbappé remained on the bench due to finger and muscle issues, leaving the spotlight entirely on Haaland—who delivered. The Norwegian struck his 51st Champions League goal in just 50 appearances.
Real Madrid started brightly and were awarded a penalty in the third minute, only for VAR to overturn the call. A dangerous free kick followed, but City’s defensive wall held strong. Vinicius Junior launched several attacks but failed to hit the target.
Madrid eventually opened the scoring in the 28th minute when Rodrygo converted a cross, ending his 32-match goal drought. City responded quickly. A corner in the 34th minute saw Thibaut Courtois save Josko Gvardiol’s header, but Nico O’Reilly pounced on the rebound to equalize.
In the 39th minute, Haaland was fouled inside the box by Antonio Rüdiger. VAR intervened again—this time awarding a penalty. Haaland converted confidently, sending the ball into the right side of the net as Courtois guessed the wrong direction.
Courtois made a spectacular double save in first-half stoppage time, first denying Haaland’s strike off an O’Reilly free-kick and then blocking Sherki’s rebound effort.
“Thibaut Courtois kept Real Madrid alive far longer than the team’s performance deserved,” wrote a Madrid-based outlet.
Real Waste Golden Opportunities as City Holds Firm
After halftime, Real Madrid had two clear chances to equalize within minutes. Jude Bellingham fired over the bar from a Vinicius cutback in the 50th minute, and Rodrygo squandered a similar opportunity shortly after.
City nearly extended their lead when Doku’s curling shot was tipped away brilliantly by Courtois in the 62nd minute. Real pushed hard late in the match: Vinicius volleyed over the bar in the 80th minute, and Andrik struck the crossbar five minutes later.
Despite heavy pressure in added time, Madrid couldn’t register a single shot on target. Overall, Real took 16 attempts but managed only one on goal. City were far more efficient, putting eight of their 12 shots on target.
Elsewhere in the Champions League
Arsenal continued their dominant run, defeating Club Brugge 3–0 to maintain a perfect record with 18 points. Noni Madueke struck twice, and Gabriel Martinelli added another to secure victory.
Defending champions PSG were held to a frustrating 0–0 draw by Atletico Madrid. Newcastle United surrendered a late goal and had to settle for a 2–2 draw against Bayer Leverkusen. Napoli fell 2–0 to Benfica, Juventus beat Paphos by the same margin, and Borussia Dortmund drew 2–2 with Bodo/Glimt.
Also Read: Arsenal Soar High as PSG Falter in Crucial Away Clash
