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Manchester City win in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals
This Tuesday the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals between Manchester City and Real Madrid took place at the Etihad Stadium. It was a match in which seven goals were scored and the scoreboard was left open for everything to be decided in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu next Wednesday, May 4.
The clash between Carlo Ancelotti and Josep Guardiola did not disappoint. Both teams with some casualties and lining up certain players to fill the gaps that were reflected on the scoreboard.
Madrid took the field with Courtois in goal; Mendy, Alaba, Militao and Carvajal in the defense line; Modric, Kross and Valverde in midfield; and in the attack Vinicius, Benzema and Rodrygo.
For his part, Guardiola lined up goalkeeper Ederson; Stones, Ruben Días, Laporte and Zinchenko on defense; Bernardo Silva, Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne in midfield; and Mahrez, Gabriel Jesús and Foden in the attack.
The 'citizens' suffered from their sides and so much so that Guardiola changed Stones in the 36th minute for Fernandinho on the right wing, but this cost him Vinicius's goal. In the same way, the fact that Casemiro was not in the White defense gave free rein to the total dominance of the locals in midfield and in attack.
The match began with a total dominance of City for the first 35 minutes. At minute 2, the first attack of the locals was directed by Mahrez, who coming from the right wing to the front of the area, sent a cross into the area that De Bruyne headed to convert the partial 1-0.
The goal lost control of the visiting squad that tried to play their game trying to control the ball and reach the area, but again the locals would score again. At 11', Kevin De Bruyne sends a cross from the left wing and Gabriel Jesús receives in the area, but Alaba was unable to stop him, instead turning on his axis he went hand in hand with Courtois and scored.
The meeting seemed to lend itself to a City win. At 17 'Vinicius arrived in the area for the first time and the ball went to the corner. At minute 25, Mahrez arrives quite dangerously from the right sector of the area, but instead of passing it to another striker who arrived with a better profile, he finishes off and the ball hits the side of the net.
Another for the locals came at 29' and this time through Foden. The play starts from a filtered pass from De Bruyne and the British player receives from the edge of the area and takes a shot that crosses very close to the right post.
A minute later, Madrid responded with a play that started from Benzema. The Frenchman receives from the left sector of the area and took out a cross that Alaba headed, but the shot goes across the far post.
However, at 33' the 'merengues' would score 2-1. Modric put pressure on the locals to leave and the ball fell to Mendy, the Frenchman sends a cross from the left and Benzema finishes off as best he can, since he was very well marked, but the ball filters through the far post, hitting the post and entering. The goal put Ancelotti's men into the game.
They were the best minutes for Real Madrid. At 34' the visiting team once again had a clear shot and this time Carvajal passed it to Rodrygo from the right wing and he was left alone in that sector of the area and took a powerful shot that Ederson deflected for a corner. With that marker they would go to rest.
Before the start of the second half , Ancelotti replaced Alaba, who retired with discomfort from Nacho. At 47 'Manchester has another clear. Mahrez enters from the left and takes a shot that hits the left post, the rebound is left to Foden who hits it first, but Carvajal deflects from the goal line.
At 52' Guardiola's men would score again. The play began with a Fernandinho steal from the right wing and the Brazilian, escaping at speed, took a center from the last line that Foden finished off with a header to convert the partial 3-1.
At 55' Madrid would respond. In a pass along the line in the middle of the field, Vinicius lets it pass between his legs appealing to his own speed, Fernandinho fails to reach him and the Brazilian from Madrid escapes, managing to get into a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, who crosses it to convert the partial 3-2.
A minute later, the visitors had another chance, this time after a cross into the area that Militao headed in, but the ball fell into the goalkeeper's hands. At 67 'Zinchenko manages to get a tracking center to the area that Laporte finishes off towards the center of the area and Courtois stops without problems.
The game had slowed down a bit and both teams were taking it more calmly. At 69' Camavinga enters for Rodrygo. At 74' Tony Kross commits a foul on Zinchenko from the front of the area, but the referee gives the “advantage law”. Some Madrid players stood still, but Bernardo Silva drives it and takes a shot that becomes 4-2.
It seemed that the advantage would be definitive, since the match would enter the last stretch. City tried to take advantage of the emotional blow and came through Mahrez on the right and took a cross shot that went wide of the left post at 75 '.
At 78', Madrid responded with a shot by Modric from the edge of the box, but the ball narrowly went wide. At minute 79, Ancelotti would change the Croatian for Ceballos.
However, at minute 80 'Laporte touches a ball with his hand inside the area and the referee, after consulting the VAR, signals the maximum penalty. The Frenchman Karim Benzema was in charge of charging from the eleven steps and he did it in the 'Panenka' style to convert the final 4-3.
Occasions would continue to arrive in the Courtois area and Nacho would earn the only yellow card of the match for players for a challenge on Mahrez, after Pep Guardiola for protesting. The match would end with that score, an open result for the second leg at the Bernabéu on May 4.
This Wednesday, in the other first leg of the semifinals, Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool will face Unai Emery's Villarreal at Anfield Stadium. Another duel between the English and the Spanish that will define the next finalist on May 3 in the return leg at the Estadio de la Cerámica.
