"Give him his respect", "Epic and elite" - Fans hail Real Madrid star as Los Blancos knock out Manchester City from the Champions League
Real Madrid won 4-3 on penalties against Manchester City in the quarter-final second leg of the UEFA Champions League at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
Both teams were locked 3-3 on aggregate after the first leg in Madrid and it took Real Madrid just 12 minutes to edge themselves ahead in the tie.
Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr combined effectively to find Rodrygo inside the box but the Brazilian's attempt was blocked by Ederson. However, the rebound fell kindly to Rodrygo again and he tucked it away with ease.
Manchester City clawed their way back into the tie through Kevin De Bruyne's goal in the 76th minute, before the game eventually went to extra-time and penalties. Andriy Lunin denied both Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic in the shootout as Real Madrid progressed to the semi-finals.
In the wake of Los Blancos' memorable display in the Champions League, fans were quick to applaud Antonio Rudiger. The German was excellent and managed to keep Erling Haaland quiet across two legs of this crucial quarter-final tie.
In addition to being dependable at the heart of the visitors' defense in the second leg away from home, Rudiger also converted the penalty that won his team the tie.
Fans took it to social media and made posts appreciating and celebrating the centre-back's performance. Here is a collection of their reactions on X:
One fan wrote:
"Epic and elite guy"
Another added:
"BEST CB IN THE WORLD"
"The best defender this season by mile," another fan chimed in.
One user posted:
"What a performance I give you your flowers"
"RUDIIIIIIIIIIIII," said another.
One user wrote:
"The absolute biggest appreciation for Antonio Rudiger. He saw all his fellow defensive partners fall to injuries, and he rose to the occasion to consistently hold the line when it matters most. An absolute monster of a CB. So incredibly grateful he plays for Real Madrid."
While another said:
"Rudiger defeating Guardiola in a UCL? That's football heritage"
Real Madrid have been plagued by injuries to their defenders this season. In the absence of regular first-team stars like Eder Militao and David Alaba, Rudiger has stepped up quite remarkably to help the team.
Notably, 31-year-old Rudiger won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021 and could reach his first UCL final with Real Madrid, if they beat Bayern Munich in the semi-final.
Real Madrid hold nerve to come out on top vs Manchester City on penalties
By the end of 30 minutes of extra-time, Real Madrid and Manchester City were still tied 1-1, which forced the game into penalties. City were the ones to take the first kick and Argentine forward Julián Álvarez successfully converted it. However, Los Blancos' Luka Modrić missed his chance to make it 1-1 in the shootout.
Bernardo Silva then missed the second penalty for City and presented Jude Bellingham with the chance to put Madrid back on level terms. As expected, the Englishman made no mistake from the spot.
Mateo Kovačić also failed to convert his penalty to put the reigining champions in a spot of bother. Lucas Vázquez was next in line for Los Blancos and helped them move ahead in the shootout with a calmly taken penalty.
Both Phil Foden and Nacho scored the fourth penalties for their clubs. At this point, City needed to score their fifth kick and also hope Madrid missed theirs. Despite City goalkeeper Ederson beating his counterpart, Pep Guardiola's men were knocked out, thanks to Rudiger's decisive spot-kick.