Real Madrid v Manchester City: Champions League semi-final, first leg – live –
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},”data”:{“alt”:”Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior celebrates scoring their first goal against Manchester City.”,”caption”:”Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior rightly celebrates his mighty fine strike.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Juan 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Real Madrid 1-0 Manchester City (Vinicius Jr 36)”,”contributors”:[] ,”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 9 May 2023 20.44 BST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 9 May 2023 18.30 BST”},{“id”:”645a83d68f08d3cf05e39233″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Real Madrid: Courtois, Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Camavinga, Valverde, Kroos, Modric, Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Jr.
Subs: Lunin, Lopez, Vallejo, Nacho, Hazard, Asensio, Odriozola, Vazquez, Tchouameni, Ceballos, Mariano.
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Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Akanji, Rodri, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Silva, Grealish, Haaland.
Subs: Ortega, Carson, Phillips, Laporte, Alvarez, Gomez, Mahrez, Foden, Palmer, Lewis.
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Referee: Artur Dias (Portgual).
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📋✅ Our starting 𝗫𝗜!
🆚 @ManCity#UCLpic.twitter.com/zdEMNJ6ZCO— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) May 9, 2023
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Tonight's line-up! 🌟
XI | Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Akanji, Rodrigo, Gundogan (C), De Bruyne, Bernardo, Grealish, Haaland
SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Carson, Phillips, Laporte, Alvarez, Gomez, Mahrez, Foden, Palmer, Lewis#ManCitypic.twitter.com/nIkzsU6Q5q
— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 9, 2023
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The reigning and 14-time European champions against the team widely recognised as the best in the world right now: shame it’s not the final, right? Well, perhaps. But on the other hand, this way we get twice as much summit-meeting fun. The first leg kicks off at the Bernabéu is at 8pm BST, 9pm local. It’s Modric, Benzema and Vinicius Junior versus De Bruyne, Silva and Haaland! It’s on!
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Key events
42 min: Silva makes good down the right and rolls a dangerous ball through the six-yard box. Grealish can’t reach it, neither can Haaland, though a corner is the next best thing. Nothing comes of that set piece. A decent response to falling behind and momentarily losing the collective head, though.
41 min: City settle things down a little with some patient passing in the middle of the park. They slowly edge their way upfield and De Bruyne crosses from the left. But there’s nobody in the centre to take advantage.
39 min: What a strike that was, though! An absolute net-ripping pearler.
38 min: Walker clatters into the back of Vinicius Jr and allows the hosts to launch another attack from the resulting free kick. Nothing comes of it, but all of a sudden, City look a little ragged and rattled. Far too early to be losing sight of the bigger picture.
37 min: So much for keeping the Bernabeu quiet. Real Madrid in the European Cup, folks.
GOAL! Real Madrid 1-0 Manchester City (Vinicius Jr 36)
City have been the better side, but look at the score now! Out of very little, Camavinga and Modric combine down the left. The former drifts infield and rolls across for Vinicius Jr, who takes a touch before launching a rising missile into the top left from 25 yards! Ederson had no chance whatsoever! What a goal!
34 min: Valverde bursts elegantly down the right flank and curls into the box for Benzema, who can’t bring the ball down without using his arm. Stones did well to hassle Benzema into that mistake. But what a fine break upfield from Valverde, who up until this point has been pretty quiet.
33 min: Camavinga wins a corner off Walker down the left. Walker’s fuming, but he channels that ire to blast a clearing header upfield when Modric swings the ball into the mixer.
31 min: Gundogan’s good to continue. After the restart, Rodrygo crosses from the right, but Vinicius is never winning an aerial duel with Stones and Dias in the middle.
30 min: Everyone’s happy that they can take on some liquid while Gundogan gets the once-over, though. It’s hot and humid in Madrid.
29 min: Gundogan comes off second best in a challenge with Rudiger, whose no-nonsense/cynical style as a Chelsea player did for De Bruyne in the 2021 final. City aren’t happy with the non-award of a foul. Real aren’t happy a counter attack is stopped by the referee’s whistle, so Gundogan can get some treatment.
27 min: Benzema sticks out a leg to stop an in-flow Grealish, and turns his ankle while doing so. After a brief pause, the Real striker’s good to continue.
26 min: City have enjoyed 72 percent possession so far. The Real fans are not used to this sort of carry-on.
25 min: … so after all that, City nearly gift Real the opener! Rodri allows Vinicius to romp away down the left. Vinicius whips a low cross into the six-yard box. Benzema prepares to bundle home, only for Dias to slide in and hook clear, just in time! That got the volume back up all right.
24 min: Kroos plays a long pass forward to nobody in particular. The ball ends up with Ederson. Factor out the whistling, and City have rendered the Bernabeu a library.
23 min: City are currently strutting around like they own the place. No mean feat at the Bernabeu. An awful lot of dissatisfied whistling from the home fans, their team yet to get going this evening.
21 min: Walker makes good down the right and wins another corner off Camavinga. Modric heads clear. City are well on top here.
19 min: Stones drives down the inside-right channel before being clipped by Camavinga. Instead of awarding a free kick just to the right of the D, the referee waves play on, even though there’s no real advantage. Gundogan curls a weak shot over from distance before giving the referee a mouthful. On the touchline, Pep isn’t too happy either.
18 min: Rodrygo cuts in quickly from the right before slipping a ball down the channel for Benzema. For a second, it looks like a huge chance developing for Real, but Ederson has read the danger well and comes to the edge of his box to smother before Benzema can reach the pass. Real bare their teeth for the first time this evening.
16 min: Haaland gains a yard down the inside-left channel and fizzes a low shot goalwards from a tight angle. Easy for Courtois. Then another phase of attack, and Grealish reaches the byline on the left before standing one up for Haaland at the back stick. A powerful header is claimed by the keeper. City are beginning to ask some serious questions.
14 min: Rodri takes a speculative whack from 25 yards. No pressure in a big pocket of space. It’s heading into the bottom left, and Courtois sees it late, but tips it around the post. Another City corner, this time from the left. De Bruyne hits it long. Silva hooks it back into the middle. Carvajal and Haaland collide, six yards out. Haaland falls and makes a half-hearted claim for a penalty that’s never going to be awarded.
12 min: Vinicius attempts to spin Walker and beat his man in a footrace down the left. Walker gives no ground. City smoothly triangle their way back out of their final third. The visitors in confident mood during these early exchanges.
11 min: Grealish seems to be fine now, that early injury scare nothing more. He dribbles in from the left but can’t complete a one-two with De Bruyne. Real clear their lines.
9 min: Silva drives down the inside-right channel and cuts back for De Bruyne, who sends an instant drive towards the bottom-right corner. Courtois parries, then the flag goes up for an offside before any City player can get to the rebound. City will be pleased with their start … especially as soon after they win another corner down the right. This one’s wasted. But still. The home fans whistling quite a lot as a result of City’s dominant opening.
7 min: City are pressing Real back in their final third. The ball pinballs to Haaland on the edge of the box, but the striker can’t make enough space for a shot, and Kroos sees him off.
5 min: Vinicius tears down the left but can’t find Benzema in the middle. Dias clears, but only after blootering his first clearance into Grealish, who is moving a bit better now. Up the other end, Silva slips De Bruyne into some space down the right. De Bruyne wins the first corner of the match off Camavinga. Nothing comes of the set piece. An intense first few minutes.
3 min: Rudiger wrestles Haaland to the ground in the midfield and gives the City striker some beneficial advice while doing so. A feisty start to the game.
2 min: … but Grealish took a knock in making that challenge on Rodrygo, and isn’t moving too smoothly.
30 sec: Grealish hangs out a leg to cynically block Rodrygo, and a fussier referee might have laid down a marker. But no yellow card. We play on.
Manchester City get the ball rolling. “That City line-up looks suspiciously sensible and balanced,” groans Matt Dony. “What’s Pep playing at? Where’s the unnecessary Big-European-Game insanity going to come from? Can we expect Haaland to slot in at right back? Are Stones and Grealish going to be swapping places every ten minutes? Any chance we’ll see Ederson as a false nine?” Doesn’t look like it. But there’s always next week.
The teams are out! Real Madrid in their meringue whites, Manchester City in their Milan-influenced red and black. The Bernabeu atmosphere blistering hot despite the clouds in the sky. Both teams 180 minutes away from Istanbul! We’ll be off in a couple of minutes, after a quick blast of Zadok the Priest (Version), but in the meantime, here’s Justin Winter with an email that doesn’t end up where it looks to be inexorably heading: “Henry Kissinger said of the Iran-Iraq war ‘It’s a pity they both can’t lose.’ This match is a classic Kissinger derby. One side forever tainted by its association with Franco, the other by its association with the Gallagher brothers.”
Pep Guardiola speaks to BT Sport. “A semi-final of the Champions League is already a challenge in itself … of course there are two good teams … we need a good performance … we have to play two good games … last season we did two good games but we were not able to make the final … every minute has to be played with a high level … in the latter stages, every team has a special threat, hopefully we can use it more than them.”
Pre-match mood setting. Rodri bullishly claims …
… however the good doctor warns …
… but on balance a World Cup winner suggests …
Pre-match postbag. “This should be a good one (cue 0-0 draw). But it might just come down to which keeper is better today. And we have all seen Courtois do Courtois things. Advantage Madrid” – Joe Pearson
“Haaland has many attributes, but one that I feel is overlooked is his ability to hang on the last defender and still rarely be flagged or VAR’d offside. As a Chelsea fan he reminds me of an anti-Werner” – Brendan Large
“Just as everyone overestimates Pep and underestimates Ancelotti, so the same can be said concerning Real and City. Best team in the world?! Please, who are the champions of the Champions League?! Who knocked City out? City are chokers. They cannot win, even with Haaland” – Jeff Sax
“I don’t think this has ever happened before, but this year the Champions League semi-final clashes with the semi-final of that other Pan-European contest that matters more than it should, Eurovision. With luck, both competitions will feature the highest and lowest of emotions, and somebody becoming a legend forever either through outrageous talent or a colossal eff-up” – Kári Tulinius
Tonight’s coaches have a scarcely believable six Champions League titles between them. You want historical context? We got historical context!
4
CARLO ANCELOTTI (Milan, Real Madrid)
3
Bob Paisley (Liverpool), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid)
2
Jose Villalonga (Real Madrid), Luis Carniglia (Real Madrid), Bela Guttmann (Benfica), Helenio Herrera (Internazionale), Miguel Munoz (Real Madrid), Nereo Rocco (Milan), Stefan Kovacs (Ajax), Dettmar Cramer (Bayern Munich), Brian Clough (Nottingham Forest), Ernst Happel (Feyenoord, Hamburg), Arrigo Sacchi (Milan), Ottmar Hitzfeld (Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich), Vicente del Bosque (Real Madrid), Alex Ferguson (Manchester United), Jose Mourinho (Porto, Internazionale), PEP GUARDIOLA (Barcelona), Jupp Heynckes (Real Madrid, Bayern Munich)
… and that’s not counting the three titles they won as players, Ancelotti winning two for Milan, Pep one for Barca. Yep, this is a summit meeting all right.
¡Fútbol!¡Infierno sangriento! A reminder of what happened here last year. Like anybody really needs reminding.
Real Madrid make two changes to the XI that started the 2-1 Copa Del Rey final victory over Osasuna on Saturday. Luka Modric replaces Aurelien Tchouameni in midfield, the France international dropping to the bench, while at the back Antonio Rudiger stands in for the suspended Eder Militao.
Manchester City make six changes to their starting XI after the closer-than-it-should-have-been 2-1 victory over Leeds on Saturday. Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish are in. Aymeric Laporte, Julian Alvarez, Rico Lewis, Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden drop to the bench, while Nathan Ake is injured.
The teams
Real Madrid: Courtois, Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Camavinga, Valverde, Kroos, Modric, Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Jr.
Subs: Lunin, Lopez, Vallejo, Nacho, Hazard, Asensio, Odriozola, Vazquez, Tchouameni, Ceballos, Mariano.
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Akanji, Rodri, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Silva, Grealish, Haaland.
Subs: Ortega, Carson, Phillips, Laporte, Alvarez, Gomez, Mahrez, Foden, Palmer, Lewis.
Referee: Artur Dias (Portgual).
📋✅ Our starting 𝗫𝗜!
🆚 @ManCity#UCLpic.twitter.com/zdEMNJ6ZCO
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) May 9, 2023
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Tonight's line-up! 🌟
XI | Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Akanji, Rodrigo, Gundogan (C), De Bruyne, Bernardo, Grealish, Haaland
SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Carson, Phillips, Laporte, Alvarez, Gomez, Mahrez, Foden, Palmer, Lewis#ManCitypic.twitter.com/nIkzsU6Q5q
— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 9, 2023
“,”url”:”https://twitter.com/ManCity/status/1655989370938064918″,”id”:”1655989370938064918″,”hasMedia”:false,”role”:”inline”,”isThirdPartyTracking”:false,”source”:”Twitter”,”elementId”:”230ae74c-01cc-46ad-9679-63a4ed55b3fa”}}”>
Tonight’s line-up! 🌟
XI | Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Akanji, Rodrigo, Gundogan (C), De Bruyne, Bernardo, Grealish, Haaland
SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Carson, Phillips, Laporte, Alvarez, Gomez, Mahrez, Foden, Palmer, Lewis#ManCitypic.twitter.com/nIkzsU6Q5q
— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 9, 2023
Preamble
The reigning and 14-time European champions against the team widely recognised as the best in the world right now: shame it’s not the final, right? Well, perhaps. But on the other hand, this way we get twice as much summit-meeting fun. The first leg kicks off at the Bernabéu is at 8pm BST, 9pm local. It’s Modric, Benzema and Vinicius Junior versus De Bruyne, Silva and Haaland! It’s on!
