For the third knockout tie in a row, Actual appeared down and out. Although it is a group that has turn into accustomed to inconceivable heroics, even by its personal absurd requirements Wednesday’s late, late present to safe a 3-1 victory over Metropolis was chopping it positive.
With Metropolis main 4-3 from the primary leg, Riyad Mahrez’s second-half purpose had seemingly booked his group passage via to the ultimate in Paris.
Nevertheless, two objectives both facet of the 90-minute mark from substitute Rodrygo turned the sport on its head and despatched the match to additional time.
In reality, it then felt as if there was going to be just one winner.
Regardless of how deep of a gap Actual appears to seek out itself in, the magic contained in the Bernabeu at all times appears to tug the group out.
Will probably be the fifth time Ancelotti has reached the Champions League ultimate as a supervisor, the one man to have ever achieved that feat.
“A por la 14,” learn the writing on the again of Actual’s celebratory shirts. “Let’s go for quantity 14.”
Actual down, however now out
It took lower than eight minutes for tempers to flare for the primary time, as Luka Modric and Aymeric Laporte each obtained yellow playing cards for his or her half in a scuffle that was sparked by Casemiro’s poor deal with on Kevin De Bruyne.
Casemiro, as he so usually inexplicably manages to do, prevented a reserving for the foul.
Only a few minutes later, Benzema introduced the group contained in the Bernabeu to its toes for the primary time. The Frenchman related sweetly with Federico Valverde’s low cross, however was unable to maintain his effort low sufficient to hassle Ederson within the Metropolis purpose.
Unsurprisingly, the match was an altogether cagier affair than the electrifying first leg on the Etihad final week. Metropolis knew the onus was on Actual to attempt to degree the tie and Pep Guardiola’s facet was content material with permitting its opponent extra possession that it did every week in the past.
Actual, at instances, appeared uncertain tips on how to construct its assaults and twice gifted Metropolis the ball in harmful positions, however the group had Thibaut Courtois to thank for making good saves from De Bruyne after which Bernardo Silva.
These in white had been doing their finest to disrupt Metropolis’s slick attacking strikes, particularly Casemiro. The Brazilian was once more liable for one other cynical foul, this time hauling Phil Foden to the bottom by the scruff of his neck after which kicking him at the back of legs.
Referee Daniele Orsato as soon as once more inexplicably failed to provide a yellow card.
Extra Bernabeu ‘magic’
A lot of the dialog after the primary leg was round Metropolis’s incapacity to place the tie to mattress, because it allowed Ancelotti’s facet route again into the sport repeatedly.
This present Actual group will not be on the degree of earlier iterations, however heading to the Bernabeu with only a one-goal benefit stays a frightening activity. There may be simply one thing intangible — nearly mystical — that hangs within the air on a Champions League evening on this stadium.
Actual followers have already been handled to spectacular comebacks twice in latest ties; most just lately towards Chelsea within the quarterfinals and beforehand towards Paris Saint-Germain.
All this crowd wants is a small second to get behind its group and push Actual’s gamers to heights they maybe doubted they might attain.
“That vitality … that the followers emit, gamers — much more in matches [like against PSG] the place we needed to mount a comeback in a troublesome Champions League recreation — really feel it,” defender Nacho informed CNN concerning the Bernabeu environment.
“It hits us and on nights equivalent to that, it hits us on a complete completely different degree. The Bernabeu is particular on nights like that … you concentrate on it and get goosebumps. You get goosebumps fascinated with experiencing nights like that as a result of they’re historic, they’re magic.”
It is Nacho’s use of the phrase “magic” that feels most correct on Champions League nights. In video games equivalent to these towards Metropolis, when nerves can usually take a maintain on each units of gamers, these moments of magic can resolve the tie.
Actual maybe thought it had discovered such a second contained in the opening minute of the second half, however Vinicius Jr. was unable to direct Dani Carvajal’s immaculate low cross in direction of purpose when alone on the far publish.
Vinicius’ means to seek out a lot house on the far publish was largely because of Kyle Walker being out of place, with the Metropolis right-back hampered by damage; Walker missed the primary leg with a knock and his makeshift substitute Fernandinho was terrorized by Vinicius all night.
Walker was patched up and rushed again in time for the second leg, as Metropolis knew he was its finest probability at combating Vinicus’ blistering tempo. Nevertheless, regardless of quite a few makes an attempt from the Metropolis medical employees to avoid wasting his evening, the damage ultimately pressured Walker off.
In his place, on got here Oleksandr Zinchenko and, maybe considerably surprisingly, Guardiola additionally introduced on Ilkay Gundogan rather than De Bruyne — and it took lower than a minute for his double substitution to have an effect.
Zinchenko and Gundogan mixed to seek out Silva in acres of house heading in direction of the Actual purpose and the midfielder’s sideways go discovered the onrushing Mahrez, who thundered a first-time shot previous Courtois into the highest nook.
Because the match drew to an in depth, substitute Jack Grealish twice got here near doubling Metropolis’s lead on the evening and sending his group to Paris.
However simply when followers had been lastly beginning to imagine that “magic” wasn’t actual, Actual as soon as once more proved that it simply may be.
Two quick-fire objectives from substitute Rodrygo — the primary an instinctive tap-in and the second a superb header — both facet of the 90-minute mark despatched a beforehand silent Bernabeu into raptures.
From a facet that had appeared so down and out actually seconds in the past that a lot of the stadium had began to empty, Actual was now wanting the most certainly to win this tie.
Metropolis had its again to wall for many of the six minutes of damage time and was seemingly even grateful to listen to the full-time whistle because the Actual onslaught continued.
However Guardiola’s facet had been solely supplied a second’s respite earlier than the bombardment restarted and it took simply three minutes of additional tie for Actual to take the lead on this tie for the primary time.
Dias’ rash problem within the field introduced down Benzema, who dusted himself down and calmly slotted the ball into the underside proper nook.
And that was that. A shell-shocked Metropolis facet by no means appeared like it could regain sufficient composure to discover a means again into the tie.
For all Guardiola’s tactical tinkering and meticulous preparation, it appears no person can discover any strategy to cease what occurs on the Bernabeu. No person can discover a strategy to halt Actual Madrid’s “magic.”
