Exactly one year ago, Real Madrid came back from the brink of the Champions League semi-final second leg at the Bernabeu to beat Man City in an unforgettable thriller. There was intense excitement around this match. That thrill touches the field football too. However, even though the two teams gave lively football, no one could have the last laugh. Real and Man City are now looking at Maharan's second chapter as the first leg of the semi-final was drawn 1-1 at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night. The fight will be settled at City's Dera Etihad next Wednesday.
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Real will be under some pressure in the return match as they could not win at home. Both teams' goals in the first leg which ended in a tie were outstanding. Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior put Real ahead with a bullet-speed shot from about 22 yards after receiving the ball from Eduardo Kamavinga's dashing run in the 36th minute amid City's dominance in the first half. Real's only shot on target in the first half. While Real were playing well after the break, City scored against the tide. Kevin De Bruina responded to Vinicius's great goal with a great goal. In the 67th minute, this Belgian star made City equal with a shot like a sudden shot from outside the box. Despite keeping City's goal machine Arling Holland bottled up, the hosts could not win because of De Bruyne.
Real coach Carlo Ancelotti, however, thinks that De Bruyne's goal is not legitimate. He alleged that the ball had gone out of bounds during the build-up to the goal. It's not me saying it, the technology is saying it. Strangely enough, the referee didn't see it. The ball was definitely out. Small things like these make a big difference. The referee wasn't really paying attention. He showed me the yellow card. I wasn't playing!'
Despite the controversy over De Bruyne's goal, Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, unwilling to let themselves back down in the second leg of what turned out to be an unwritten final, said, "It was a good draw." The return match will be the 'final'. And we are good at winning the final.
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