The European Cup, that exclusive engine of emotions, has great reverse matches. It happened in Chamartín, where when City had more flight, Madrid scored with their first shot, a tremendous discharge from Vinicius. When Real prevailed the most, another blow, this one from De Bruyne. All open after a meeting with a lot of crumb, strenuous for both. A height shock through which Haaland tiptoed, submitted by the Rüdiger brigade at his premiere in Madrid.
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Courtois, Alaba, Camavinga, Dani Carvajal, Rüdiger, Federico Valverde, Modric (Nacho, min. 86), Kroos (Aurelien Tchouameni, min. 84), Benzema, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo (Marco Asensio, min. 81)
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Ederson Moraes, Rúben Dias, Manuel Akanji, Walker, Rodrigo, Gündogan, De Bruyne, John Stones, Bernardo Silva, Erling Braut Haaland and Grealish
goals 1-0 min. 35: Vinicius Junior. 1-1 min. 67: DeBruyne.
Referee Artur Manuel Soares Dias
Yellow cards Kroos (min. 47), Ancelotti (min. 68), Gündogan (min. 71), Camavinga (min. 79) and Bernardo Silva (min. 85)
From the outset, Real had an Italian streak and City fell into the ambush. Real presented him with the ball and took refuge in the ropes with everyone very crowded. It was about encircling Haaland, undermining his spaces. The Norwegian, unleashed in his transit through the Premier, requires a straitjacket. Madrid incidentally prevented Pep Guardiola’s box from working with the long lights, luckily this course, Haaland through, practices like never before. Suddenly, the recognizable City of another era. Talk with the ball, with a battery of subordinate passes.
Madrid did not care about the bailout. Camavinga and Carvajal successfully guarded Bernardo Silva and Grealish, respectively, those in charge of widening the Bernabéu to the limit. Stones, central with the team without the support of the ball and midfielder with it, crowded through the funnel with Rodri and Gündogan. Pit day for Kroos and Modric, white placenta.
Real couldn’t find the ball, but no one flinched, despite a couple of long shots from De Bruyne and Rodri. Haaland also caught a couple of shots, but inappropriate for him. Two carantoñas to the ball. None of those cluster bombs that the Norwegian usually drops.
As Madrid is encyclopedic with Madrid itself, he knows that in his Europe the parties are not always what they seem. Not at all. The adversaries know it, but it doesn’t matter. It has been said, the ball was City’s dowry, also the shots and a handful of corners before half an hour. But Madrid usually asks for a turn when the opponent believes that they are playing a real game. Absolutely. A Rodri knot woke up Vinicius, whose cross to Benzema was interfered with by Rúben Dias. A rattle for each other. Madrid left the first track; the English team felt alert for the first time. At times, a more ragged City, especially after a smash from Rüdiger to Gündogan.
Illustrated as he is, Modric warned, who headed for Camavinga in his first foray. Vinicius, who until then was well parked by Walker, tried himself as a striker and from the terrace of the area executed a kick to seal the 1-0. This Vinicius grows and grows. Dribbling, assistant and, suddenly, shooter.
In his Cup, Madrid can be a succession of denials. A guerrilla between Carvajal and Grealish concluded the first act, with City disoriented and Madrid blowing out candles for Vinicius. The change of needles was about to arrive.
Back from intermission, another challenge, another run. A Real with more flirtation with the ball. A more expansive City, already ready for a round trip clash. Some and others in the Ferris wheel. And a tactical novelty. Camavinga, in the style of Guardiola with full-backs like Cancelo before and now Walker, as an assistant in the middle with possession in his favor and just a defender without it.
Benzema and De Bruyne, two top stylists, did not tune, and everyone paid for it. Vinicius lacked the thread of the French as Haaland —so well caged by Rüdiger— the Belgian. In the visitors, the government belonged to Rodri, a satellite of the blues. And it was Rodri, in the best local section, who activated De Bruyne with a bolt. Footballer with a fabulous kick, well evidenced in Chamartín. His dry shot went like a shot towards the net of his colleague Courtois. A meeting already balanced on the scoreboard and in the game. It was no longer time to take more risks than necessary. However, Ederson had to earn his salary after a header from Benzema and a shell from Tchouameni. The match had bone, a lot of bone, with tremendous duels like the one between Rüdiger and Haaland, or the one between Walker and Vinicius. With City, without a single change, increasingly stiff, with less deposit. Madrid unsuccessfully sought one last outburst. Closing of a big game to which fate has pointed a return with capital letters next Wednesday.
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