Man City 2-3 Real Madrid: Player ratings as Bellingham steals first leg victory at the Etihad
- Real Madrid scored twice late to win first leg of play-off tie
- Man City collapsed again after impressive performance
- Jude Bellingham struck winner in stoppage time
Real Madrid scored twice in the final five minutes to secure a 3-2 win at Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League play-off tie.
There was little doubt as to whether this contest would deliver, it always does, and the tone was set from the off with a fervent Etihad greeting the players. However, the City support would've been concerned with what they saw early on as Madrid spurned a couple of good opportunities to take the lead.
After Vinicius Junior had a penalty ruled out for offside, Kylian Mbappe tested Ederson with a fierce drive, and Nathan Ake blocked a goalbound effort from Ferland Mendy.
The Cityzens thus struck the opener against the run of play, but Erling Haaland's first-ever goal against Madrid was sublime - built from back to front. City then asserted vintage control on the contest, before the visitors ended the first half with a flourish. Mbappe, however, failed to find the target with a couple of efforts.
Los Blancos' pressure resumed after the restart, and they were level on the hour mark through a sliced Mbappe volley from the second phase of a Madrid set piece. Ederson was on hand to deny Jude Bellingham a swift go-ahead goal before City settled again and Dani Ceballos brought down Phil Foden for a penalty expertly converted by Haaland.
Remarkably, though, Guardiola's side threw away their advantage in the final five minutes. Substitute Brahim Diaz drew Madrid level with a well-taken rebounded finish before Bellingham poked home the winner after Vinicius broke in behind and lifted a poor effort over the City goalkeeper.
Man City player ratings (4-1-4-1)
Player | Rating |
|---|---|
GK: Ederson | 6.7/10 |
RB: Manuel Akanji | 6.9/10 |
CB: Ruben Dias | 5.7/10 |
CB: Nathan Ake | 6.8/10 |
LB: Josko Gvardiol | 7.5/10 |
DM: John Stones | 6.5/10 |
RM: Savinho | 6.9/10 |
CM: Bernardo Silva | 6.2/10 |
CM: Kevin De Bruyne | 6.2/10 |
LM: Jack Grealish | 6.2/10 |
ST: Erling Haaland | 8.6/10 |
SUB: Phil Foden (30' for Grealish) | 7.5/10 |
SUB: Rico Lewis (46' for Akanji) | 5.6/10 |
SUB: Mateo Kovacic (61' for Ake) | 5.1/10 |
SUB: Omar Marmoush (84' for Savinho) | N/A |
SUB: Ilkay Gundogan (84' for De Bruyne) | N/A |
Subs not used: Stefan Ortega (GK), James McAtee, Nico O'Reilly, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nico Gonzalez, Jeremy Doku, Matheus Nunes.
Real Madrid player ratings (4-2-3-1)
Player | Rating |
|---|---|
GK: Thibaut Courtois | 6.5/10 |
RB: Federico Valverde | 7.2/10 |
CB: Aurelien Tchouameni | 7.1/10 |
CB: Raul Asencio | 7.5/10 |
LB: Ferland Mendy | 6.6/10 |
CM: Eduardo Camavinga | 7.1/10 |
CM: Dani Ceballos | 7.5/10 |
AM: Jude Bellingham | 8.4/10 |
RW: Rodrygo | 7.3/10 |
ST: Kylian Mbappe | 8.1/10 |
LW: Vinicius Junior | 8.2/10 |
SUB: Luka Modric (81' for Ceballos) | N/A |
SUB: Brahim Diaz (85' for Rodrygo) | N/A |
SUB: Francisco Garcia (90' for Mbappe) | N/A |
Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Sergio Mestre (GK), Jacobo Ramon, Jesus Vallejo, Lorenzo Aguado, Chema Andres, Gonzalo Garcia, Arda Guler, Endrick.
Player of the match - Erling Haaland (Man City)
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