Heading into the second leg against Real Madrid away from home, Manchester City faced a goliath of a task to overcome the Galacticos as they were down 3 – 2 on aggregate. This combined with the fact that they were missing key players heading into the fixture such as Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne.
On the other hand Madrid had a bolster in their confidence as their starting centre back; Antonio Rudiger found his way back into the starting line-up while maintaining the strong front line of Kylian Mbappe, Rodrigo and Vinicius Jr.
Real Madrid started strong and got even further ahead in the first five minutes of the game when Mbappe lobbed the ball perfectly over the rushing Ederson to make it 1-0 (4-2 on aggregate) and put them two goals ahead overall. Real Madrid kept the pressure on the Manchester City goal as crosses and shots came in with the occasional break for Manchester City who somehow found themselves to have more possession but less momentum as the game continued.
Manchester City appeared to have their entire team disconnected from each other as Omar Marmoush was all by himself up top struggling to get much service or get past the Real Madrid defence. Shockingly, Manchester City’s defence also seemed like it was disconnected from the rest of the team as Madrid could repeatedly find their way through and pick apart the City defence with no help or tracking back from anyone else.
For the remainder of the first half it was all Real Madrid pressure as Manchester city looked troubled to get out of their own box and they struggled to double up on Vinicius Jr. who was running rampant over Khusanov.
It seemed like it was only a matter of time until Real Madrid and Kylian Mbappe scored yet again and it came when a lovely passage of play found its way to Rodrigo who played it off to the French international who, after a skilled chop to send the Manchester City defender, Josko Gvardiol, the wrong way and placing it near post past a lost Ederson making it 2-0 on the night and setting himself up for a potential hattrick.
Going in to half time three goals down, Manchester City needed to make some serious changes if they wanted any chance to get back into the tie and they did so in the form of a higher line from the City defence which only seemed to allow Real Madrid more space in behind for Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. to attack.
Worries cropped up for Real Madrid when Kylian Mbappe went down injured in the 57th minute after an outstretched leg looked rather uncomfortable for the goalscorer. However, only minutes later he would turn his fortunes around after getting back up to his feet when he netted his third goal of the night ensuring a hattrick for himself and real madrid progression to the round of 16.
Real Madrid didn’t stop there however as their pressure was relentless and they kept coming forward almost as if Vinicius Jr. and Mbappe were taking turns to attack the Manchester City defence. A late consolation did appear for newcomer Nico Gonzales after Omar Marmoush’s free kick struck against the crossbar and bounced into the Spaniard’s feet for an easy tap-in meaning the match ended 3-1 on the night and 6-3 on aggregate.
Overall, it was Real Madrid’s night to prove to themselves, the fans and their future opposition that regardless of how they performed in the league stage, they’re here to go all the way and challenge for the Champions League trophy. After such a stellar performance from the Galacticos everyone will be on high alert and hoping not to face Madrid in the coming ties with the confidence they have after this win.