Robert Morales |
Madrid (EFE) power to their moments of suffering and Manchester City drove away ghosts that reappeared after an exercise in brilliance.
Only from the domain of the competition, the competitive character, the resilience and the unique capacity for suffering of Real Madrid in the ‘Champions’ can explain their triumph at half-time after being subjected to and surviving 25 minutes of football exhibition by City in the Santiago Bernabeu.
He ended up having it in hand, with the goal from ‘Vini’, but he ended up paying dearly for the specific error in a small detail that takes its toll on big days.
The fight of Pep Guardiola’s players was double, against the rival and against the psychological aspect of returning to the stage where they lost the last semifinal after dominating the 180-minute tie.
To be proclaimed king, he must dethrone the rival who competes best and his ability to rise from any situation. As extreme as it is.
Changed the factor of the stadiums in the present, on this occasion Real Madrid did not go behind on the scoreboard nor did they see everything lost.
He felt the hardness of achieving a new feat against a team designated as a great favorite.
No one, except Mourinho in a semifinal of unpleasant memories for Real Madrid against Barcelona, had raised a defensive duel at the gates of the grand final. It does not appear in the script by Carlo Ancelotti, who was brave and was close to paying for it.
City’s “overwhelming” possession
Guardiola’s blackboard overwhelmed at the start. The presence of Stones in midfield in the offensive phase generated superiority in City’s midfield and gave them the ball.
A possession of up to 70% away from a Real Madrid pushed to go back, longing for the physique of players like Camavinga, present on the left side, or Tchouméni where Kroos appeared suffering without the ball.
City multiplied on the field, relegating Real Madrid to the long ball to the inspiration of Vinícius and Rodrygo.
He felt superior from the overwhelming possession and he needed to execute it in the definition. Courtois, with the ‘Champions’ savior suit, responded to everything. At De Bruyne’s shot, Rodri’s distant lash, Haaland’s low shot and his first header.
The great differential factor compared to the last memory was Haaland. At his debut at the Bernabéu he found his physique matched with the presence of Rüdiger and a system of aid from the Madrid central defenders.
Four City shots in 16 minutes. Real Madrid without the ball, on their ground, reduced to the individual brilliance of an isolated action against the counterattack. That’s where Rodrygo appeared to pass Benzema into space, without the finesse of the past.
From absolute silence at the Bernabéu it turned to euphoria due to a mistake by Rodri. A poorly measured pass back, the appearance of Vinícius, the pass of death and Stones saving Benzema’s goal from an empty goal.
Vinicius’s goal
The power button had been pressed. City felt it. Real Madrid took the expected step forward and after a long run by Valverde with a measured cross to Karim without a shot from the first-class Frenchman, Vinícius appeared to unbalance.
From the power and stride of Camavinga, a caged lion on the side, was born the fast attack that turned Vinícius lethal. Overconfident, feeling the leadership and responding like the greatest, he invented a goal rarely seen in his history. He backed down the rival central defenders before his run and from outside the area he put together an unstoppable right hand for a burst of relief from the Bernabéu.
Real Madrid had survived a good dose of suffering to turn the tide of a game that was coming into their territory. In his hand, go for the rival to seek a greater advantage or defend the victory with intensity in a second act in which he recovered his true identity. And he accepted the exchange of blows proposed by a City in which the figure of De Bruyne emerged.
And the roles played in the first act were changed. When Real Madrid was at its best, they found a way to hurt the rival’s front line with pressure. When Ederson had taken a shot above Benzema, Vinícius and Rodrygo were around the goal with dangerous actions, Alaba masterfully defended a typical Haaland goal action.
The tie
From an anticipation of Rodri to Rodrygo to an unnecessary pass to the center at the start of the play by Camavinga, the tie was born. De Bruyne emulating Vinícius, hit a dry shot that was impossible even for Courtois. The second great goal to increase the beauty of the most beautiful pulse in Europe.
He flew over the Etihad and the second leg on the Bernabéu pitch. Any final blow would have conditioned the return. And he had it from Benzema, upside down to run into Ederson again who showed off Tchouaméni’s powerful shot when Ancelotti went to plan b with the French muscle in the midfield, together with Camavinga with the entry of Nacho to the side.
There was no more news from Haaland, who lowered his power on a key day, nor from City without Guardiola changes. The memories of the past prevailed over the hunger of the present.
Datasheet
- 1 – Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal, Rüdiger, Alba, Camavinga; Kroos (Tchouameni, 84), Modric (Nacho, 87), Fede Valverde; Rodrigo (Marco Asensio, m.81), Vinicius, Benzema.
- 1 – Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Ruben Dias, Akanji; Stones, Rodri, Gundogan; De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Grealish; and Haaland.
- Goles: 1-0, m.36: Vinícius. 1-1, m.67: De Bruyne.
- Referee: Artur Dias (Portugal). He admonished Kroos (45 + 2), Camavinga (79) and coach Carlo Ancelotti (68) for Real Madrid; and Gundogan (71) and Bernardo Silva (86) for City.
- Incidents: first leg of the Champions League semifinals, played at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, full, with 63,485 spectators in the stands.