Real Madrid vs Manchester City highlights, RMA 3-3 MCI, UEFA Champions League: Quarterfinal first leg finishes in six-goal thriller

A six-goal thriller as first-leg of the quarterfinal match between Real Madrid and Manchester City finishes 3-3. Over to the Etihad Stadium eight days later. 

Madrid thought it had a late throw inside the final third but the referee stops the contest. Probably a fitting end to the contest.

Four minutes added at the end of the second-half!

Madrid works out a short corner. Modric gets the ball and passes it to Brahim Diaz. Diaz had time to shoot and he goes hard and low, looking for the far-corner. But the effort is blocked. The danger, however, is not over for Man City. The ball goes for Carvajal, who goes for a shot from distance, but the match is denied of another screamer, as the Spaniard fails to hit the target. 

MCI booking: Bernardo Silva sees yellow for a late challenge on Brahim. 

RMA sub: IN- Joselu OUT- Vinicius Jr

MCI sub: IN- Alvarez OUT- Foden

It has been a quarter-final classic till now and we still have six minutes plus stoppage time to go. Do not be surprised if there is a late winner. 

RMA booking: Carvajal becomes the latest player to get a yellow card. 

This is one of those matches that just keeps on giving. We have seen another exquisite strike. Vinicius spots Valverde’s run on the right side of the box. He lifts the ball for the Uruguayan and Valverde goes for a first-time volley across the face of the goal. He catches his shot perfectly and the ball races inside the net. Ortega was a mere spectator as that ball went in. What a contest! 

Bellingham tries to get at the end of Modric’s pass, with Akanji closely marking him. Bellingham goes down and looks at the referee, hoping for a penalty, but nothing doing for the Englishman. 

Real Madrid subs: IN- Brahim, Modric OUT- Kroos, Rodrygo

What is with City and scoring screamers today? It is another phenomenal goal for the defending champion. Grealish sends the ball to Gvardiol, with the Croatian outside the box. He surprises everyone by going for a shot and the ball bends the perfect amount to fly into the far-corner. Lunin had dived again but could not get a hand to it. And to top it all, that was Gvardiol’s debut goal for City. What a time and stage to score that. 

Foden scores the equaliser for Man City and in style. He gets the ball at the edge of the Madrid box after receiving a pass from Stones and dispatches a venomous shot at goal. His connection is immaculate and the ball flies to the top-left corner. Lunin had absolutely no chance to stop that rocket of a shot. 

Madrid would have launched a counter-attack after successfully defending a City corne. Vinicius lead the charge but Haaland does well to track back and snatch possession from the Brazilian. That is good work rate from the Norwegian. 

Vinicius sets up Valverde for the shot at the edge the box, but the Uruguayan completely miscues his effort, as the ball sails above the City goal. 

Foden cuts in and shoots from distance but the effort is straight at Lunin, who does well to catch the ball and hold on to it. 

Madrid launches an attacking move. Rodrygo slips in a pass for Vinicius, who goes for a first-time shot with his left. But the Brazilian cannot hit the target. Stones slid in to try and stop the shot and by the looks of it, has pulled his hamstring in doing so. He will continue for now but is not moving at his best. 

Grealish picks out Rodri from a freekick but the latter cannot keep his header on target and the ball goes out for a goalkick. 

A bit of sloppy defending from Man City as Rodri gives the ball away. Bellingham pounces on the loose ball and makes his way inside the box. He tries to find the far-corner with his low shot but cannot hit the target. 

Bernardo Silva goes for goal from a freekick. This time, there is no trickery and he goes hard and low. But the Madrid wall stands firm to block the shot. 

Foden has time and space on the left flank to try and find a teammate inside the box. Foden aims for Haaland but the cross is behind the Norwegian and Madrid gets the ball away. 

Grealish gets the ball inside the box, cuts in and goes for the far-corner. But the shot is high and wide, as the ball goes for a Madrid goalkick. 

Real Madrid leads Man City 2-1 as the second-half kicks-off at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain. 

A Rodrygo strike and an own-goal by Ruben Dias keeps Real Madrid in a 2-1 lead against Manchester City at the break. 

Grealish gets the ball on the left and tries to find Haaland at the far-post with a floating cross. Haaland leaps to get to the ball but ends up conceding a foul in his bid to get at the end of Grealish’s cross. 

Three minutes added at the end of the first-half!

Vinicius, under pressure, takes a shot at goal from inside the City box but the effort is straight at Ortega who holds on to the ball. Bellingham was there in support but the Brazilian opted to shoot. 

Foden gets the ball on the right flank and spots that Lunin is off his line. He goes for goal for distance but cannot keep his effort on target. That was a cheeky one from the City player. 

MCI booking: Akanji sees a yellow card for al ill-timed challenge on Vinicius. 

It is an excellent shot by Kovacic to set up Grealish. Grealish does not waste time in taking his shot by Tchouameni makes an excellent block. 

Madrid launches a counter-attack, with the City players scampering to get back into position. Vinicius rolls the ball for Rodrygo, who goes for a first-time shot. He makes a good connection with the ball but cannot keep his effort on distance. 

Carvajal has time and space to roll the ball to Rodrygo, who had made a good run on the left. Rodrygo cuts in and tries to find the far-corner with a curler. But the ball goes straight to Ortega. 

Kovacic spots Haaland’s run and tries to find him with a lofted through ball. But the weight on the ball is too much, allowing Lunin to come off his line and collect. 

It is one of the rare occasions where City is not having an overwhelming dominance as far as possession is concerned. Madrid looks to have settled after that chaotic start as their backline looks compact as of now. But both teams are on the attack. This game has all the signs of turning out to be a potential thriller. 

Valverde gets the ball in the final third. Vinicius goes for a decoy run on the right, dragging Stones out of position. This allows Valverde to shoot at goal but the effort is weak and Ortega collects comfortably. 

What a turnaround this is for Real Madrid. Rodrygo times his run to perfection as he is played a wonderful through ball down the left flank. Using his raw pace, he darts at the City goal. Walker and Akanji keeps up but Rodrygo maintains his calm to keep the ball and go for the shot. This time, it is another unfortunate deflection for City as the ball hits Akanji and trickles inside the net. 

Madrid has two goals in less than three minutes. 

Camavinga gets the ball near the left touchline. He gets past Grealish with a drop of the shoulder and makes a run towards goal. He shoots at the target and the ball takes a massive deflection off Ruben Dias to end up inside the net. 

Safe to say, Man City has had the better start, and it is not just because of the early goal. Guardiola’s men are keeping the ball well and making plenty of penetrations into the final third. 

Haaland tries to catch out Lunin at his near-post with a shot from close distance, forcing a save from the Madrid keeper. The Madrid defence is in scrambles as they try and get the ball away. Grealish gets the ball and goes for a curler, but sees his effort blocked. Madrid finally gets the ball away. Madrid tries to counter but Vinicius is bundled off the ball. Madrid wants a freekick but the referee does not give one, inviting the ire of the Bernabeu crowd. 

Valverde makes a good run and draws a couple of defenders to him. He tries to release the ball for Vinicius but his pass is too heavy. Gvardiol clears the ball and it ricochets off Vinicius for a goalkick. 

Bernardo Silva catches out Madrid with his freekick. Everybody was expecting a cross but he goes for a low shot, bending the ball around the Madrid wall. Lunin sees the danger too late and is completely caught out. He gets a hand but cannot keep the ball from going inside the net. The defending champion has an early lead at the Bernabeu. 

RMA booking: Tchouameni sees a yellow card after just 38 seconds for his late challenge on Grealish. He will miss the second leg of the clash. 

Vinicius looks to give Madrid a fast start as he makes a run down the left flank. He looks for Belligham with his cross but the ball does not reach the Englishman. 

The UEFA Champions League 2023-24 quarterfinal first leg clash between Real Madrid and Manchester City is underway at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain. 

Played - 6

Real Madrid win: 1

Draw: 1

Man City win: 4

Reigning UEFA Champions League champion Manchester City face Spanish giant and record UCL winner Real Madrid for the first leg of their quarterfinal tie at Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.

The match will be the third straight season that City and Madrid have clashed against one another in the knockout stages of Europe’s premier club competition.

The Los Blancos won the semifinal match in their victorious 2021-22 campaign, while Man City triumphed en route to its debut Champions League win the following year.

These clashes have seen 17 goals scored across those previous four meetings, at an average of 4.3 per game (seven for Real Madrid, 10 for Man City), as another enticing Champions League clash awaits in the Spanish capital.

When and where will the Real Madrid vs Manchester City Champions League 2023-24 quarterfinal match kick-off?

The Real Madrid vs Manchester City Champions League 2023-24 quarterfinal match will kick-off at 12:30 AM IST, Tuesday, April 10 at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain. 

Where can you watch the Real Madrid vs Manchester City Champions League 2023-24 quarterfinal match in India?

The Real Madrid vs Manchester City Champions League 2023-24 quarterfinal match will be live telecasted on the Sony Sports Network. 

The match can also be live streamed on the Sony LIV app and Website.