Bernardo Silva scored a brace to help Man City produce one of the convincing football scores of the weekend in the Champions League. Pep Guardiola’s team thrashed the reigning champions with two goals from Bernardo Silva in the opening period. After the interval, Carlo Ancelotti’s squad made an effort to come back, but Eder Militao’s own goal and Julian Alvarez’s stoppage-time goal only served to highlight the gap in skill. Real Madrid was no match for City’s incredible streak, which has seen them win their last 15 games at the Etihad Stadium and go 23 games without a loss. The Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan will take place on June 10 in Istanbul.
The match was precariously balanced after one outstanding goal each in the Bernabeu last week, and there was excellence wherever you turned. City faced the 14-time European champions as they attempted to make it to the final for the second time in three seasons. The environment was appropriate for the occasion. As the team van pulled up to the stadium, fireworks started off. Boos during the Champions League song, of course, but a boisterous atmosphere afterward with fans eager to watch their team dethrone European aristocracy.
In the Spanish capital, Antonio Rudiger had surprisingly kept Erling Haaland quiet, but Militao’s availability caused the German international defender to slide to the bench. Furthermore, just half of the task of stopping the City attacker had been completed. He would have given City the lead inside 13 minutes if Thibaut Courtois hadn’t made an unlikely stop with his body. Soon after, the Real Madrid goalkeeper’s extended arm again prevented Haaland from scoring. Courtois eventually let him back in, but he was unable to keep City out for too long.
The first leg saw Guardiola’s team dominate the early going, but that game taught us that outward looks can be deceiving. The ability to wait for their opportunity has been consistently shown by Ancelotti’s team. There were one or two warnings. Kyle Walker quickly recovered as Vinicius Junior momentarily slipped behind him, giving the City defender room to move. When Madrid’s sole attempt of the first 45 minutes hit the crossbar, Toni Kroos got even closer to scoring.
With those exceptions, Ancelotti’s side offered little indication of peaceful control. They weren’t wasting time. They were buried underwater. After Ilkay Gundogan’s attempt was blocked, Silva nodded in to narrow the gap in the second goal. The finest plays by Madrid came from lone individuals, with David Alaba’s fierce attempt being deflected by Ederson. City was smoother, and the one surprise was that their third goal wasn’t really impressive. Following Kevin De Bruyne’s free-kick, Militao placed the ball in his own net.
When Alvarez sunk in the fourth, celebrations in the stands resembled those in Poznan and developed into childish delight. These supporters anticipate that something will go wrong in this contest. This was a comprehensive performance, perhaps even the handoff of the football baton in Europe. This City team has now defeated another European powerhouse after defeating Bayern Munich in the quarterfinal. Istanbul will host Inter next month. It’s more likely than not that night will be the one they finish a historic treble.
“Taking Real Madrid as the opposition in the Champions League semifinals. We had to play well, which we did, especially in the opening frame,” Man City boss Pep Guardiola said. “These previous several days, I had the impression that there was a balance of anxiety and quiet. After ten or fifteen minutes, I began to feel as though the anguish from last season was still present today. It was really difficult last season. Everything had to be swallowed.”
Manchester City has made it to the Champions League final twice, most recently in 2020–21. Following Alex Ferguson (102) and Carlo Ancelotti (107) as managers with 100 Champions League victories, Pep Guardiola now holds that distinction. This was also Real Madrid’s joint-worst loss in any stage of the competition and the match with the largest margin of victory in a single Champions League semi-final game. This season, Manchester City has scored 31 goals in the Champions League, which is a record for them. After Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski, Bernardo Silva became the third player to score two or more goals in a Champions League semi-final encounter against Real Madrid.
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