“All of a sudden that belief just appears” – Steve Nicol highlights game-changing moment for Real Madrid during comeback win over Manchester City
Former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol has highlighted the game-changing moment in Real Madrid's victory over Manchester City in their Champions League semi-final tie on Wednesday.
Staring down the barrel of defeat following Riyad Mahrez's 73rd-minute strike, Los Blancos looked like they were heading out of Europe in the second leg of the tie at the Bernabeu.
In the 87th minute, it seemed as though Jack Grealish was about to seal the victory for Manchester City when he had an effort on goal. Ferland Mendy cleared the ball off the line with the rebound luckily ricocheting off Phil Foden and away from goal.
Rodrygo would then go on to score a double in injury time. His first on the night was a brilliant run into the box to capitalize on Ederson's poor judgment from Eduardo Camavinga's cross. Nichol believes that goal was vital in the resurgence shown by the La Liga champions and said (via ESPN):
“If Mendy doesn't clear the ball off the line, then they're buried because that gave them the chance. Courtois has made another save after that, a couple, both from Grealish. They've been hanging on by a thread ever since the referee blew the whistle in the first leg, let's be honest."
He continued:
"They got completely outplayed in the first leg, somehow only come away only one behind. They did nothing for the first 90 minutes in this game. Then Rodrygo... fantastic run, just takes the gamble, and all of a sudden, that belief just appears.”
Rodrygo's goals in the 90th and 91st minutes were Real Madrid's first shots on target of the game 🤯 https://t.co/zjguoyjiTX
Real Madrid forward Rodrygo looking to build on his heroic performance against Manchester City
The 21-year-old's two injury-time goals shocked the football world as Manchester City seemed to be heading safely through to the final of the Champions League.
It will be a repeat of the 2018 final which saw Real Madrid defeat Liverpool 3-1 as Carlo Ancelotti's side take on Jurgen Klopp's men in Paris on May 28.
#UCL
This boy, then. Born in January 2001. Signed for €45m from Santos in June 2018 when he was 17. Real Madrid know how to find talents in Brazil, definitely. ⚪️🇧🇷 #UCL https://t.co/ZCMsYDBjgj
Rodrygo is eyeing more goals for his side following his impressive outing against City. He told reporters (via YahooSport):
"I'm really happy to be able to score two goals in the semi-final and get Madrid to the place where they always belong – the Champions League final – and to win it."
He continued:
"I couldn't hear what my teammates were saying to me because I couldn't believe what was happening. We were losing the game, my first goal in the 90th minute and we were dead, and then what happened was what happened. That's my best version of myself in the Champions League, and I hope I can continue to score a lot more times."
The Brazilian has scored eight goals and contributed nine assists in 44 appearances across all competitions for Real Madrid this season.