Football: Manchester City 2 - 3 Real Madrid

It was another thrilling match between City and Real Madrid

City’s Champions League hopes hang by a thread after Jude Bellingham’s dramatic injury-time winner gave Real Madrid the upper hand in a tense play-off first leg.

Author - Macca

Manc Super News: - City v Real Madrid

Pep Guardiola’s side showed glimpses of their best early on at the Etihad, with Jack Grealish and Josko Gvardiol combining to tee up Erling Haaland for a confident finish after just 19 minutes. But Grealish’s injury midway through the first half disrupted City’s rhythm, and after Haaland rattled the bar shortly after the break, the momentum shifted.

Real Madrid took control, Kylian Mbappe bundling home from close range on the hour mark after City failed to clear their lines. The visitors continued to waste chances, with Bellingham twice going close, before City were handed a lifeline when Dani Ceballos fouled Phil Foden in the box. Haaland made no mistake from the spot, restoring City’s lead with 10 minutes to play.

But the drama was far from over. Former City man Brahim Diaz levelled with four minutes remaining before Bellingham struck at the death, sliding in from close range to leave the holders facing an uphill battle in next week’s second leg at the Bernabeu.

Champions League: 2024/2025

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A familiar story for the blues

For a while, it looked like Manchester City had rediscovered their spark. With Grealish pulling the strings and Haaland as clinical as ever, they looked in control. But as has been the case too often this season, it unravelled.

Real Madrid had already begun to threaten through the pace of Mbappe and the trickery of Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr, but the defining moment came when Haaland’s deflected shot cannoned off the bar. A two-goal lead could have changed everything.

Instead, City found themselves increasingly under siege. The 15-time European champions turned up the pressure, and with tired legs setting in, Guardiola’s side looked increasingly vulnerable. Even when Haaland’s late penalty restored their lead, it never felt secure.

Once again, key figures like Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne looked short of their usual sharpness, while Ruben Dias and John Stones—both carefully managing their game time—struggled to keep the backline steady.

In a cruel finale, City went from dreaming of taking an advantage to Madrid, to settling for a draw, before suffering a devastating late defeat. Now, they face a monumental task to salvage their Champions League campaign in the Spanish capital.

Check out some of the atmosphere at the Etihad Stadium by watching the TikTok below that was uploaded by our friends at European Super Football.

Watch on TikTok

 "The story of City's season..."

Bethany Leigh told us: "There are promising signs within the team that we still possesses quality. However, this talent is currently overshadowed by a lack of confidence. Ultimately, we turned a potential victory into defeat. If we hadn't given away two easy goals, we would be discussing a very different outcome. This has been the story of City's season."

Location: Etihad Stadium, Etihad Campus, Manchester M11 3FF, UK

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