Manchester City increased the pressure on coach Xabi Alonso after a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.
Speculation about Alonso's future was growing ahead of the game, and the former Spanish midfielder continued to experience another pressured night as Man City came back at the Santiago Bernabeu. After Real was denied a penalty by VAR in the first minutes, Rodrygo opened the scoring in the 28th minute with an accurate finish, ending a cardiovascular coordination situation from the home field.
However, Real's advantage did not last long. Man City rose strongly at the end of the first half and scored two goals in a row within eight minutes. First was Nico O'Reilly's close-range rebound after Thibaut Courtois blocked Josko Gvardiol's header from a corner kick. Immediately afterwards, referee Clement Turpin consulted VAR and awarded the away team a penalty after Antonio Rudiger's clumsy foul on Erling Haaland.
Haaland easily scored from the 11m mark to put Man City ahead. Despite Real's pressing in the second half, they still could not penetrate the English team's defense and suffered their second consecutive defeat at home in just four days.
Alonso's Real Madrid have now won just two of their last eight games, and the Spaniard's future is becoming more uncertain than ever.
Real Madrid have tried, but is that enough to save Alonso?
At the pre-match press conference, Pep Guardiola only gave Alonso one advice: "Let's do everything in your own way."
A day later, at the Bernabeu, in Real Madrid's most important match of the season, Alonso did just that. If he had to trade it for the coaching position, he would accept that by choosing the team he believes in and playing football in line with his philosophy, without sacrificing.
That means Gonzalo Garcia - Alonso's particularly beloved player at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup - has been given a starting position to replace the injured Kylian Mbappe. That also means Federico Valverde has to drop to play as a defender reluctantly, whether the player likes it or not.
Alonso decided to bring Dani Ceballos to midfield, leaving Arda Guler on the bench. Up front, he continues to put his faith in Rodrygo, despite a series of 32 failed matches of the Brazilian player. For most of the match, Real's players seemed to be fighting for their coaches. And the encouragement from a Champions League night, against big opponents Man City and Guardiola, may also play an important role.
Right from the start of the match, Real showed commendable pressing efforts, satisfying the audience in the stands. They played fiercely without the ball, pressuring and trying to get the ball right on the opponent's court - a characteristic of Alonso's philosophy, which has shown signs of fading in the recent decline.
After only two minutes, Real was awarded a free kick from close range - initially identified as a penalty - from a strongly contested situation by Bellingham. Three minutes later, when Man City counterattacked, Valverde immediately rushed in to support the defense. Four minutes later, Bellingham approached and stole the ball from Bernardo Silva.
The first half saw three consecutive goals in a short time. In the second half, Real started the game quite positively, although Man City also created a few notable situations.
However, the Bernabeu audience's reaction to Alonso's substitution decisions shows that their confidence is shaken. The first change - withdrawing Gonzalo Garcia after an hour to include Arda Guler - caused the stands to fall into a skeptical silence, in the context of Real needing a goal.
The applause for withdrawing Ceballos and replacing him with Brahim Diaz was also quite sparse. It was only when Endrick was substituted for Raul Asencio in the final minute of the match that the Bernabeu stadium became more vibrant.
Real Madrid fought until the last minutes to find an equalizer. They played on par with Man City. This is a failure, but not a lost failure. And that could be enough to keep Alonso at the Bernabeu - at least for now.
