Coming to the Bernabeu of European King Real Madrid, Manchester City's luggage was too little capital in the first leg, if not a debt to be paid when losing with a minimal difference at home.
According to Opta, the Citizens' chances of advancing to the round of 16 are 29%. This is not a big number but it is not so small that blue half Manchester fans cannot expect a comeback right on the opponent's field. Before the match, many experts, celebrities and former players said this was a new classic competition for Europe. However, in the end, Man City could not prove that balance.
Man City are still like that, still have better possession even though they have to play away. They launched 12 shots but the ball only hit the target 4 times. Meanwhile, Real Madrid were too cold with high-speed counter-attacks, like sweet cuts to tear up the opponent's defense. Ederson's 15 shots, 8 dribbles and 3 goals all mentioned superstar Kylian Mbappe.
In the first leg away, the French striker equalized the score 1-1 with a volley that reminded people of that moment of his own at the 2022 World Cup. That shot was somewhat lucky when the ball hit Mbappe's ankle, creating an unpredictable trajectory and going straight into the net.
People say Mbappe may have been lucky but today he was unlucky.
Mbappe's first goal came in the 4th minute, which was also the first shot of the match. Raul Asencio crossed the ball from his home half for Kylian Mbappe to break the offside trap, he escaped the marking of two central defenders from Man City, before crossing the ball over Ederson's head to open the score.
The 33rd minute was a perfect counter-attack for Real Madrid. Jude Bellingham passed the ball for Vinicius Junior to escape to the right wing, the Brazilian striker crossed into the penalty area. Rodrygo passed the ball to Mbappe to remove Josko Gvardiol, before easily beating Ederson once again to increase the score to 2-0.
In the 61st minute, the French superstar completed his hat-trick. He skillfully moved his leg close to the opponent's penalty area, before making a dangerous curse with his left foot, causing Ederson to drop all his weight but could not block it.
After the match and a superb performance, Mbappe made a Self-tedition like his teammate Vinicius in the first leg with the MVP title in hand. The French striker has said he wants to win the UEFA Champions League this season with great teammates.
Real Madrid was so happy in glory, Man City was so immersed in despair. They were expected to make a grand match against their opponents but left with the result of a defeated general. This is not the first time this season, a disastrous season, that Man City has been destroyed like that, but perhaps the heaviest defeat. They have just lifted their Champions League title 2 years ago, are the reigning English champions but are no longer fragile after leaving the Bernabeu.
People mentioned Vinicius in the first leg, the Mbappe fight in the second leg, so where was Haaland in this second leg? The Norwegian striker scored both goals for the visitors in the first leg at the Etihad but was unexpectedly benched in the second leg and was not put on the field.
To explain this, Pep Guardiola only briefly said after the match: "Haaland is not at his best, he is not fit for this match. Yesterday, Haaland had practiced a little but he told me that he was not well. Therefore, we have to choose another option"
That brief explanation from Pep means accepting the loss of the most important explosive force in the attack to find a goal, what Man City needs most for a comeback. The remaining attackers such as Omar Marmoush, Phil Foden, Savinho and Bernado Silva have become harmless. The only person who restored the honor for the away team with a goal in the 90+2 minute when everything was settled was rookie Nico Gonzalez.
For Pep Guardiola, this was a match of many things called the first time. For the first time, a player scored a hat-trick against a team led by Pep in the knockout round of the Champions League. This is also the first time in his 16-year peak coaching career that the Spanish strategist has stopped before the round of 16 in Europe's most prestigious playground.
