The real Madrid qualified for the final of the Champions after an almost miraculous comeback to win 3-1 after extra time Manchester City this Wednesday, with a saving double from Rodrygo, in the semi-final second leg, on another magical night at the Bernabéu.
City, who had won 4-3 in the first leg, went ahead with a goal from Ryad Mahrez (73), but two goals from Rodrygo in just two minutes (90, 90+1) revived the real Madrid and took the match to extra time, where Karim Benzema made the 3-1 penalty (90 + 4), which gave the pass to the final of Champions.
The real Madrid will be measured at the end of the Champions League on May 28 in Paris at Liverpoolwhich the day before had won 3-2 at Villarreal in the other semifinal.
The merengue team returned to pull epic and heart to get into a new Champions final four years after lifting their 13th continental trophy and left the City of Pep Guardiola without his long-awaited “Orejona”.
In need of a goal, Real Madrid went out from the beginning to look for Ederson’s goal, against a City that tried to get hold of the ball and slow down the game.
Supported by an animated Bernabéu that was confident of being able to repeat the comebacks of PSG Y Chelseathe white team reached the goal defended by Ederson, but without precision in the final meters.
City strike first
After a first half in which the two teams canceled each other out, the white team came back from the break with one more gear, knowing that they were playing against the clock, to find at least one goal that would take the game to extra time.
As soon as the match restarted, Carvajal put up a ball for the run Vinicius that only facing the goal sent it out (46).
The occasion spurred the real Madrid that bottled a City in his area, but when it seemed that Real Madrid’s goal was closer, City’s goal came.
Bernardo Silva received only in the center of the field to advance and put a ball to the right where Mahrez appeared to put the ball through the top corner. Thibaut Courtois (73).
The goal was a blow for the merengue team that now needed two goals to send the ball into extra time.
The meringues did not lower their arms, pushed by their stadium that still believed in a miracle that came when Rodrygo finished off a pass from Benzema (90) at the near post.
Just a minute later, the young Brazilian, who had left for Toni Kroos (68), scored a center from Carvajal (90+1) to send the tie to extra time, after the “Citizens” in the first leg would have won 3-2.
Benzema adds and continues
As soon as extra time started, Ruben Days brought down Karim Benzema in the area causing a penalty that the Frenchman himself converted (94), with a goal that ended up sealing the passage to the final.
Benzema, who has established himself with this as the top scorer in the continental tournament with 15 goals, was applauded throughout the stadium when Ancelotti decided to retire him.
After the white team’s goal, the match became an exercise in survival and an exchange of blows until the referee blew the whistle for the end of the match.
Real Madrid will meet again four years later in a Champions League final against Liverpool, whom they had beaten 3-1 in 2018, the last year in which the white team raised the “Orejona”, then under the command of Zinedine Zidane.