Manchester City 4-3 Real Madrid: Player Ratings as Karim Benzema scores sensational 'Panenka' penalty to keep Los Blancos in the tie | UEFA Champions League 2021-22
Manchester City narrowly edged Real Madrid 4-3 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, 26th April.
City came into this high-octane game on the back of a hard-fought 1-0 aggregate win over Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals. Having faced a highly-defensive Madrid team, they take on the highly-attacking side from the Spanish capital. Real, on the other hand, entered the contest having seen-off Chelsea 5-4 on aggregate after two exciting legs of football.
Manchester City began the game on the front foot, attacking from the very first minute. They were the first side on the scoresheet after just two minutes. Riyad Mahrez played a beautifully weighted pass to Kevin De Bruyne, who scored with a diving header to make it 1-0.
The hosts kept knocking on Real Madrid's door and their persistence paid off. De Bruyne played the ball to Gabriel Jesus, who turned sharply and slotted the ball home to make it 2-0 in the 11th minute. Real struggled defensively in the early exchanges as they could not cope with City's movement. Carlo Ancelotti switched Luka Modric and Federico Valverde in midfield in a bid to spark a change.
2-0 🟢 #ManCity
IT'S TWO!!
🔵 2-0 🟢 #ManCity https://t.co/fVI8oimtM7
Mahrez and Phil Foden missed glorious chances to put the game to bed as Manchester City kept attacking Real Madrid. The visitors were gifted a few chances as Ederson and Ruben Dias made a couple of mistakes. However, nothing came of it.
Real Madrid clawed their way back into the game, aided by City's mistakes in their defensive third. They kept more possession of the ball and covered larger territory in the Cityzens' half. Ferland Mendy made a run down the left wing and played a cross into the box. Karim Benzema added the finishing touches to score his 40th goal of the season to make it 2-1 after 33 minutes.
Both sides continued to have a go at each other as the clock ticked on. Pep Guardiola took John Stones off and replaced him with Fernandinho to add more solidity to their shape. However, neither Manchester City nor Real Madrid were able to stitch together a move to threaten.
The first half ended with City leading Real 2-1.
Benzema has scored 40 goals in all competitions for Real Madrid this season ⚽️
#UCL https://t.co/GQELmUnKlm
The second half started like the first half had, with Manchester City imposing themselves on Real Madrid from the very start. Fernandinho made a darting run down the right flank and crossed the ball into a dangerous area. Foden arrived at the right time to nod his side into a 3-1 lead.
However, Real Madrid were no pushovers as they did not seem to lose much spirit after conceding. Vinicius Jr. took matters into his own hands as he drove down the left flank, running past his tired compatriot Fernandinho. The Madrid winger carried the ball all the way into the box and slotted into the bottom corner to make it 3-2 after 55 minutes.
The game continued to produce exciting moments as the hosts continued their blistering form in the final third.
After several attempts by his teammates, Bernardo Silva finally found the net in the 74th minute. The referee seemed to have paused to award a free-kick for a foul by Toni Kroos in the build-up. However, he played to the advantage and Manchester City capitalized on making it 4-2.
Benzema became the first player in Real Madrid history to miss two penalties in one La Liga game last Wednesday.
Six days later, he panenka'd Ederson in a Champions League semi final.
The stones on the man. https://t.co/IliYKpiMuV
Real Madrid had another lucky spell as Manchester City just could not seem to score.
To compound the hosts' problems, Aymeric Laporte appeared to handle the ball in the box and the referee awarded a penalty. Benzema stepped up to score a delightful 'Panenka' chip to make it 4-3 from the spot eight minutes from full-time. However, things did not look too bright as the Frenchman was seen hobbling just a few moments after scoring the spot-kick.
After a thrilling encounter, the game ended 4-3, with Manchester City carrying a slender one-goal lead over Real Madrid. The hosts will rue all their misses as they could have taken a much bigger lead to Spain if they finished clinically.
Manchester City Player Ratings
Ederson - 5.5/10
Ederson had a below-average game as he conceded three goals and also gave the ball away a few times.
John Stones - 5.5/10
The Englishman started the game in the right-back spot. However, Guardiola decided to tweak his formation and replaced Stones with Fernandinho in the 36th minute. He also seemed to be struggling with an injury.
Ruben Dias - 6.5/10
He had a shaky moment early on as he gave the ball away and nearly scored an own-goal. However, play was pulled back for offside. He recovered well and made two clearances and one block in the game.
Aymeric Laporte - 5.5/10
The Spaniard put in a mixed performance on the night. He put in two tackles but conceded a late penalty which Real Madrid scored to make it 4-3.
Oleksandr Zinchenko - 6.5/10
The Ukrainian put in an encouraging shift at left-back in Joao Cancelo's absence. He made three interceptions and two tackles.
Rodri - 6.5/10
Rodri put in a decent shift in City's midfield. He played four of eight accurate long balls and won nine of 14 of his duels.
Kevin De Bruyne - 8.5/10
Having missed a couple of weeks of action, De Bruyne returned in style as he put Manchester City up 1-0 early in the game. He also provided an assist for Jesus' goal after 11 minutes. He played three key passes, four accurate long balls and two accurate crosses.
Kevin De Bruyne just scored the quickest UCL semifinal goal EVER 😨 https://t.co/vsyxgVzPIa
Bernardo Silva - 7.5/10
Bernardo put in a decent performance and scored a crucial fourth goal for Manchester City in the second half. He played two key passes and won seven of the 12 ground duels.
Riyad Mahrez - 7.5/10
The Algerian played a peach of a pass for De Bruyne to score from in just the second minute. He played two key passes and hit the post once. He missed a great chance to extend City's lead.
Phil Foden - 7/10
Foden looked lively from the start and attempted multiple shots in the first half. He had a total of four shots with two on target. His hard work paid off as he popped up in the right area to score to make it 3-1 for Manchester City.
Gabriel Jesus - 7/10
The Brazilian continued in his rich vein of form, putting his side 2-0 up after 11 minutes. He scored from his only shot on target and played three accurate long balls.
Substitutes
Fernandinho - 7/10
He came on in the first half to add stability to Manchester City's backline. The Brazilian provided the assist for his side's third goal. However, he was also the culprit a few moments later as he allowed Vinicius Jr. to run past him easily and score to make it 3-2.
Raheem Sterling - N/A
The Englishman arrived as a late-game substitute but did not play enough minutes to warrant a rating.
Real Madrid Player Ratings
Thibaut Courtois - 5/10
The Belgian custodian had a shaky start as he conceded two quick-fire goals. He ended up conceding four goals throughout the game and made just one save.
Dani Carvajal - 7/10
The Spaniard put on a defensive clinic. He won seven of his 10 duels. Carvajal also made two interceptions, two clearances, one block and one goal-line clearance.
Eder Militao - 6/10
Militao had a mixed game as he made several errors, but also made a couple of key blocks. He won nine of his 12 duels and made three interceptions.
David Alaba - 5/10
Alaba started poorly and made an error that led to Manchester City's second goal after just 11 minutes. He was taken off at half-time and replaced by Nacho. It was later revealed that he was also nursing an injury.
Ferland Mendy - 6.5/10
Mendy looked lively as he joined the attack. He provided an assist for Benzema's goal that brought Real Madrid back into the game. He played two key passes in total.
Federico Valverde - 6/10
Valverde put in a decent performance. He won three of his seven duels and played one accurate long ball.
Luka Modric - 6/10
The Croatian had a decent game and was subbed off just before the 80-minute mark. He passed the ball with 82% accuracy. Modric also won four of his six duels and dribbled past opponents twice.
Toni Kroos - 6.5/10
The German put in a good shift for Real Madrid in central midfield. He played three long balls and had a passing accuracy of 92%.
However, he had a moment of confusion after he stopped playing despite the whistle not being blown. It cost his side a goal as City went 4-2 up in the 74th minute.
Vinicius Jr. - 7/10
Vinicius had a mixed start to the game as he was unable to utilize the full extent of his pace and dribbling abilities. However, he showed his class with a darting run that started in his own half and ended up scoring after running for nearly 50 yards.
Rodrygo - 6/10
The Brazilian had a tame outing and did not provide much end product. He was replaced by Eduardo Camavinga in the 70th minute.
Give it to Karim Benzema now 🔮 https://t.co/vPmbqUKU6i
Karim Benzema - 8.5/10
He proved his inevitability yet again, latching onto Mendy's cross to make it 2-1 in the 33rd minute. He then scored a delightful 'Panenka' penalty in the 82nd minute to keep Real Madrid in the tie at 4-3. Benzema looked to struggle with a knock late in the game but is expected to recover in time for next week's return leg.
Substitutes
Nacho - 6/10
The Spaniard went on to help Real Madrid tighten up in defense. He made one clearance and one tackle and was booked for a late foul.
Eduardo Camavinga - 6/10
The young Frenchman came on and helped stabilize Madrid's midfield. He won four of his six duels and played one accurate long ball.
Dani Ceballos - 6/10
Ceballos put in a decent shift towards the end of the game.
Marco Asensio - N/A
The Spaniard replaced Vinicius in the 88th minute and did not play enough minutes to warrant a rating.