Real Madrid March into Last 16 of Champions League with Win over Manchester City
Real Madrid secured a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Manchester City in their Champions League group stage match on Tuesday, booking a spot in the last 16 of the competition.
At the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Real Madrid came out strong, with Karim Benzema opening the scoring in the 7th minute with a clinical finish from close range. Manchester City struggled to gain a foothold in the match, with their usually potent attacking unit misfiring in front of goal.
Just before halftime, Ederson was forced to make a remarkable double save to deny Dani Ceballos and Luka Modrić, keeping his team in the match. However, the visitors were unable to capitalize on their reprieve, and Real Madrid took advantage by doubling their lead just before the break. Vinícius Júnior capitalized on a defensive mistake to curl in a superb effort from 20 yards out, giving Real Madrid a 2-0 halftime lead.
Manchester City improved in the second half, with Kevin De Bruyne going close with a long-range effort that was pushed away by Thibaut Courtois. However, their revival was short-lived, as Sergio Ramos made it 3-0 to Real Madrid with a well-taken penalty in the 74th minute, converting after Álvaro Morata was fouled by Aymeric Laporte.
Manchester City pulled a late consolation goal back through substitute Phil Foden in the 85th minute, but it was too little, too late, as Real Madrid ran out comfortable winners.
"We’re very happy with this result," said Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane. "We were very clear in our approach, and we were clinical in front of goal. It’s a big win for us, and we can be proud of our performance."
For Manchester City, the loss marks a disappointing end to the group stage, in which they could only manage second place behind Paris Saint-Germain. "We gave it our best shot, but sometimes things don’t go your way," said City manager Pep Guardiola. "We have to regroup and focus on the Premier League and our other competitions."
With this result, Real Madrid secures a spot in the Champions League draw for the knockout stage, where they will look to make a deep run in the competition. Manchester City, meanwhile, will have to wait for the Europa League to begin, where they aim to make amends for their Champions League exit.
