Five Things Learned: Manchester City 2-3 Real Madrid (UEFA Champions League Last-16 Play-Off First-Leg) | OneFootball

Manchester City succumbed to defeat against a determined Real Madrid side in the UEFA Champions League this week, suffering a significant blow to their Round of 16 hopes with a 2-3 defeat at the Etihad Stadium.

Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti have battled similar injury crises throughout their seasons leading up to the much-awaited meeting between their respective sides.

City took the lead twice, both times through Erling Haaland. However, a fortunate shot from Kylian Mbappe and a composed effort from Brahim Diaz drew the La Liga side level before Jude Bellingham’s late goal sealed victory for Los Blancos.

Ancelotti, aware of Manchester City’s recent tendency to struggle holding on to leads, patiently waited for the inevitable during his side’s sauntering chase for a win and the visitors were first to test the waters with a few quick-fire attacks.

But Pep Guardiola’s backline of five defenders – featuring a returning Nathan Ake – somehow held the fort. The Blues patiently held their positions and avoided man-marking, which prevented Real Madrid’s front-four from escaping through the space.

By the 15th minute, the hosts had turned up the intensity and started looking dangerous. Jack Grealish found Josko Gvardiol with a clever pass, directing the ball towards Erling Haaland with his chest. The Norwegian caressed the ball past Thibaut Courtois, registering his first goal against Real Madrid.

Half an hour in and Grealish went to ground sustaining an injury and was replaced by Phil Foden. The Blues managed to see out the first 45 minutes with a goal advantage and returned hoping to add to that lead. However, the hosts looked shaky from the start of the second half.

Kylian Mbappe, whom Ederson had denied in the first half, saw a miss-kick off his shin cause a spinning ball to reach the net and bring his side level. It was the warning that Manchester City needed, but they paid no heed.

Foden won a penalty for his side following a clumsy challenge from Dani Ceballos on the edge of the box and Erling Haaland converted into the bottom corner, giving City the lead for a second time. That should have been it for the Blues, but a predictable collapse was around.

The visitors soon got their equaliser as Ederson’s clearance was intercepted, ending with Vinicius shooting straight into the goalkeeper’s chest, falling into the path of Brahim Diaz, who had left Mateo Kovacic behind to find himself in front of the goal making no mistake.

The typically dramatic encounter between the two sides saw its climax scripted in injury time, with Vinicius capitalising on a massive mistake from substitutes Mateo Kovacic and Rico Lewis. Ederson left his spot and the Ballon d’Or runner-up lobbed him for Jude Bellingham to direct it home with a simple tap-in.

The final whistle soon echoed in the stadium, where everyone in Blue knew they had let a huge opportunity slip away. It marked the first UEFA Champions League defeat for the Blues at home in over six years, and the one that could leave an impression for twice as long.

Pep Guardiola’s side will now travel to the Santiago Bernabeu hoping to take on Los Blancos one final time and get themselves into the last-16 against the odds, with next week’s hosts now unparalleled favourites to advance.

Here, we take a look at the biggest things we learned from Manchester City’s 2-3 defeat against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League’s first-leg tie in the last-16 play-off round.

Erling Haaland steps up… and is let down

The Manchester City striker delivered the performance one expects from the frontman in big games. It was typical of Erling Haaland to stray into the areas behind defenders, seeking opportunities to bury the ball inside the net.

His movement up front, pushing and plowing through the opponents’ defence, was rewarded with two goals. The first saw a beautiful team effort culminate in a goal, and he converted from the spot to score a second.

He would have worked better with Kevin De Bruyne, but the Belgian had added responsibility of stretching out the Madrid midfield. It wasn’t the City captain’s best day, but Haaland was getting in the right spaces to receive from Gvardiol and Grealish until the latter’s injury.

He notably attempted shots, which at times frustrated Phil Foden. As his animated reactions after the miss showed, he was convinced he was in a better position to score. The game showed a determined attacking front, but unfortunately, the forward line could not capitalise on other opportunities they created.

To make things worse, the gaping holes in the Manchester City defence after the hour mark would only nullify the striker’s efforts up front.

Josko Gvardiol offers hopes

City had a match with plenty to criticise. However, Josko Gvardiol could be spared from harsh conversations. The Croatian started with wide runs and swiftly adjusted towards midfield, gliding past everyone tasked with containing his runs. He was unstoppable on the flanks.

His combined play with Haaland and Grealish helped create City’s breakthrough, which earned him an assist for City’s opening goal. However, the latter’s early exit due to injury forced the defender to take measured risks, reserving his bursting runs.

He remained the most prominent and benefitted greatly from John Stones stepping into the midfield.

Stones – who returned as his finest self in holding midfield – had another good day until things came crumbling down. Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake held the defensive line and supplied Stones with the ball while in possession, allowing Gvardiol plenty of freedom to exploit the spaces better than any other player in a City shirt.

He has undoubtedly been one of the best-attacking prospects for Pep Guardiola’s struggling team this season. The Croatian could have revelled in a job well done against the European powerhouse if not for the last five minutes of the game.

Pep Guardiola gets it right and then terribly wrong

The City boss unconventionally started with a backline of five, which caused his side issues in the match’s opening minutes. Dias and Ake stayed behind to hold the defence, and Stones moved into the midfield while Gvardiol and Manuel Akanji held the sides.

The visitors found it easy to exploit a seemingly unprepared combination, but the defenders, to their credit, settled into the game. However, just as Manchester City hit the stride, they were punished with added struggles at the back with Manuel Akanji’s injury.

He was having a comparatively better game than his last few outings, and Guardiola replaced him with Rico Lewis. Later, he brought on Mateo Kovacic for Nathan Ake. Neither had a disastrous game, but their one mistake proved costly.

Lewis became an easier target for the Madrid press, and Kovacic failed to pull Madrid players away from the centre. The visitors grew courageous while Manchester City struggled to gather themselves against relentless attacking waves.

Although the manager may be right to cite Grealish and Akanji’s injuries as the reason behind a last-minute change of plans, he always had the option to bring on January signing, Abdukodir Khusanov.

Omar Marmoush, if introduced earlier, and Nico Gonzalez could have also made an impact in what was a must-win fixture for the Blues.

The agony of ‘almost‘

The English champions held their ground for most of the game but fumbled in the biggest moments. Guardiola is right to note bad decisions were made; Ederson made crucial saves to keep City from facing a humiliating scoreline but is to be blamed for two of the three goals.

The City goalkeeper’s terrible clearance saw the ball reach Jude Bellingham, and the visitors quickly pounced, which led to Brahim Diaz’s goal. He left the net for a third to take on Vinicius, who lifted it over the oncoming keeper so Bellingham could tap into the empty net.

The Brazilian saved half the shots he faced on target and then gave away the lead twice, but he wasn’t the only City player who had such moments. Bernardo Silva chose to pass the ball centrally or to the left, while Foden was wide open on the right.

The Blues were not careful about tracking back, and they continued to face a compounding nightmare of the Ancelotti-led side’s attacks in the final half hour: individual moments and collective underestimation of the moment set up the hosts for an avoidable loss.

City revert to self-destruction

The two sides have met in the Champions League four years in a row. City experienced the exhilaration of a 4-0 win over Los Blancos amongst those meetings. They also witnessed the European giants obliterate leads in the game’s final moments.

Yet, the hosts repeated their mistakes from previous games this season in said competition, leaving themselves vulnerable after gaining a crucial lead.

Having lost an early lead against Sporting, a three-goal advantage against Feyenoord, and a two-goal against PSG earlier in their European campaign, City should have known not to repeat the same mistake with Real Madrid, who would be more merciless with the punishment.

Yet, the Blues decided to set the stage and orchestrate a show only to willingly put themselves up as a subject of mockery.

With added pressure from the home crowd, the away fixture will pose bigger problems for City. A cauldron of pressure awaits the Blues. Considering their current form and opponents, it will be a formidable challenge, and City must rise to the occasion.