Real Madrid secured their place in the semi-final stage of the UEFA Champions League after beating Manchester City on penalties. They may have defended for 120 minutes, but they were as organised off the ball as Pep Guardiola's team was on the ball.
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City had the ball on the string. From right to left and from left to right, Guardiola's charges moved the ball around in expert fashion as they looked for opportunities. In some ways, the scale of their dominance, even when analysing the numbers later, made the competition's most successful club look like a "small" team. They had 33 attempts at goal, nine of which were on target, and attempted a staggering 920 passes. Real attempted 457 and finished the match with only 32% possession. Judging by these statistics, one could argue that it should be Guardiola and his players preparing for a semi-final tie against Bayern Munich later this month – but football can be played and won in different ways.
This was always the plan. Not necessarily to advance by way of a penalty shootout, but to sit deep and defend as best as they could. The 14-time Champions League winners knew they couldn't match their opponents for possession – even Jude Bellingham admitted this in a post-match interview – but they did back themselves to create one or two openings on the break, and with the quality they possess going forward – Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Bellingham – they were confident they could score. They did that, and rather early too. Rodrygo handed Los Blancos a 1-0 lead at the Etihad Stadium and a 4-3 advantage on aggregate in the 12th minute. His goal came against the run of play, but provided much-needed breathing space for a team who were setting up to defend and counter.
City's skill and class made openings difficult to come by for the great Spanish club, and at times it did look like Guardiola's team were only moments away from not only scoring once or twice, but embarrassing Carlo Ancelotti's team. It could have gone that way. As mentioned above, the Manchester outfit got plenty shots away as they crept closer and closer to Real's goal. Defensively, centre-back duo Antonio Rudiger and Nacho, who is often Ancelotti's fourth or fifth choice in his position, put in spectacular performances before Belgian superstar Kevin De Bruyne eventually equalised. That moment in the 76th minute should have been match-defining for the Citizens, it should have been the start of an expected and probably deserved comeback. It wasn't, however. Real maintained their focus and stayed resolute despite looking like an old, washed up boxer with his back against the ropes. City threw jab after jab, but could not land the killer blow.
This theme continued in the 30 minutes of extra-time at the end of the 1-1 draw in regulation time. Real, relying on fast transitions and loose balls in midfield. City, confidently pushing the ball around, but with their patience and poise waning. Rudiger missed a golden chance late on and Los Blancos enjoyed one or two impressive breakaways, although they weren't good enough on the night to win on aggregate, nor were they so poor that the outcome after the second leg in England feels like an injustice. Organisation is organisation. City had a plan – on and off the ball – and executed it almost flawlessly. Real Madrid had a method too, and it worked.
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They kept calm and composed during their penalty shootout victory over last season's Champions League winners, perhaps illustrated best when Lucas Vazquez did some cheeky keepie-uppies before putting the ball on the spot for his penalty-kick. Real knew they'd kept their discipline, stuck to their guns and given themselves a fantastic chance of qualifying for yet another European semi-final, and, going into the shootout, the pressure on City's players became even greater.
Opinion by @KurtLaduma
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