Manchester City Thread

[Joe 90]

how much are you putting on it? i'd go 2-1 to madrid.

That'll mean a draw then extra time .
I've had a fiver on another goal fest, 3-3.

[cyrille]

Real 3 City 1

Salah gets his wish to meet Real in the Final.

[Joe 90]

Karim Benzema's incredible 'Panenka' penalty saw Real Madrid go into the second leg of the Champions League semi-final only 4-3 behind

Real Madrid v Manchester City (Champions League semi-final second leg, 3-4 on aggregate)
Date: Wednesday, 4 May. Time: 20:00 BST. Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain.
BBC coverage: Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC local radio; text commentary on the BBC Sport website.

Manchester City will attempt to reach a second successive Champions League final on Wednesday with the away leg of their semi-final against Real Madrid - after one of the best games in the tournament's history in the first leg.
City, who lost 1-0 to Chelsea in last year's final, hold a narrow advantage after a 4-3 victory at Etihad Stadium.

Real have been European champions 13 times and won La Liga at the weekend.
The winners will play Liverpool in the final in Paris on 28 May.

• Go straight to all the best City content

In an incredible first leg, goals from Kevin de Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus gave City, aiming to become European champions for the first time, a 2-0 lead after 11 minutes before Karim Benzema pulled one back after 33 minutes.
Phil Foden took City 3-1 ahead early in the second half only for Vinicius Jr to score two minutes later.
For a third time, City gained a two-goal advantage following Bernardo Silva's goal before Benzema scored an audacious chipped 'Panenka' penalty late on to leave the tie well balanced.
"It was a lovely open game," said City boss Pep Guardiola. "We were happy, it could have been better but also a lot worse."

• Football Daily podcast: City's bid to conquer Europe continues in Madrid

Man City 4-3 Real Madrid: Result could have been better - GuardiolaWalker in, Stones out for City

England defender Kyle Walker could return after missing City's past five matches because of an ankle injury.
Walker is back in training and Guardiola confirmed he will travel to Spain, with a late decision to be made, although fellow defender John Stones remains sidelined after he sustained an injury during the first leg.
Joao Cancelo is also available after missing the game in Manchester through suspension and City will be pleased to have more options at right-back after 36-year-old Fernandinho had to cover there following Stones' injury. The veteran Brazilian struggled against the pace of 21-year-old Vinicius Jr, who sprinted away from him to score the Spanish side's second goal.
For Real, defender David Alaba is injured but midfielder Casemiro returns - a major boost as they look to tighten up in midfield against City's potent creative players.


Man City winning the Champions League 'would change the perspective from outside' - de BruyneIs this the year for City to become European champions?

City are one point clear of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table with four games to go and will claim their sixth title in 11 seasons - and fourth under Guardiola - if they win all their matches.
But the Champions League is the competition the club have long set their sights on winning.
Guardiola, a European Cup winner with Barcelona as a player and two-time Champions League winner as Barca manager, will take City to a second successive final if they avoid defeat in the Bernabeu.
Kevin de Bruyne's diving header gave Manchester City the lead in only the second minute of the first leg"To knock Madrid out you have to perform well in two games," added the Spaniard.
"It's going to be a massive test, we're lucky to be going there. We're both in the semi-finals of the Champions League, which is great, and hopefully we can give the best version of ourselves and get to the final.
"We have to prepare but we can play much, much worse than we played and still win. Nobody knows, football is unpredictable.
"Sometimes you don't get what you deserve, sometimes you get something you don't deserve."

• 'Champions League win would change view of Man City'
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'We're very confident we can fight back and advance'

Since the first leg, Real have become Spanish champions, beating Espanyol 4-0 at home on Saturday to clinch a 35th La Liga title.
It also meant Carlo Ancelotti, who left Everton to return to Real last summer, became the first manager to win the title in each of Europe's biggest five leagues - England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Real Madrid celebrated becoming Spanish champions at the weekend, winning La Liga with four games to spareThe Italian, like Guardiola a European Cup winner as a player and Champions League winner as a manager, has vowed to attack City from the start of the second leg. He said: "If we try to defend with a low block, with 10 men in our box, City will have 99 shots on target.
"Sometimes you need to take risks and we were very successful this season when risking because we have a lot of quality up front.
"It will be a clash of two very different teams, two teams with different qualities, collective and individual.
"But we'll have home advantage and we'll be aggressive as always. We have a quality up front that gives us the luxury to be daring on offence."
Former Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric, 36, will be aiming to reach his fifth Champions League final with Real and expects his team to overturn the one-goal deficit.
"Of course, we're very confident we can fight back and advance," said Modric. "We did not play well in the first leg and even so we scored three goals.
"The history of this club, winning this competition 13 times, will play a major part. It influences our mentality a lot because you believe you can achieve anything wearing these colours."

[Joe 90]

[cyrille]

Real 3 City 1

Salah gets his wish to meet Real in the Final.

[cyrille]

Penalty for Real!

[cyrille]

Goooooaaaall!!!

[harrybarracuda]

In the history of chokes that has to be one of the biggest.

The plastics with a two goal lead in the 90th minute and they still fucked it up.

[cyrille]

Forget Paris.




So, only the premier league title left to fcuk up now.

[taxexile]

After what city have inflicted on my beloved Leeds United this season I was overjoyed by the result and the manner of the defeat.

[harrybarracuda]

Now we know why they extended the flat track pony's contract until 2025.

He has another three goes at it before failing and getting the sack.

[Reg Dingle]

Shit... Turned it off when Cheaty went 5-3 up with 15 minutes left

Poor Joe must be devastated.

Oliver Holt
@OllieHolt22
It looked like the Nou Camp in 1999 when Manchester United United stunned Bayern Munich. The reversal of fortune so fast that it was scarcely believable. City played the role of Bayern tonight, hardly able to comprehend what had happened.
10:54 PM · May 4, 2022

[harrybarracuda]

Oh here you go Reg, Sky did a blow by blow.

Timeline: How the semi-final turned


Real Madrid 0-1 Man City (agg: 3-5)


88: OFF THE LINE!!! How have City not doubled the lead?


Jack Grealish motors down the left and rolls a cross-shot into the middle. Thibaut Courtois is beaten but Eder Militao is back on the line to clear. Somehow Phil Foden doesn't force the ball home from a yard out.


89: GREAT SAVE!! Grealish is toying with them down the left!


He checks past two defenders in the box and drills a low finish that Courtois deflects behind with a brilliant save with his boot. Very unlucky that from Grealish.


GOAL! Real Madrid 1-1 Man City (Rodrygo, 90) (agg: 4-5)


90: HANG ON! A NERVY FEW MINUTES REMAIN FOR CITY!


Six minutes to be precise.


City have work to do. A ball gets pumped to the back post where Benzema knocks it back across goal. Rodrygo is quickest to react and forces the ball home!


GOAL! Real Madrid 2-1 Man City (Rodrygo, 90+1) (agg: 5-5)


90+1: I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! HOW?


SIMPLY RIDICULOUS! REAL MADRID HAVE DONE IT AGAIN!


Real Madrid are level in the tie. A cross from the right leaves Manchester City all over the shop. Up pops the substitute to head home from close range.


This is another chapter in the Manchester City Champions League failures.


Real Madrid 2-1 Man City (agg: 5-5)


93: PENALTY TO REAL MADRID!!!! Dias on Benzema.


Camavinga finds Benzema in the box and Dias is just slightly late. There's enough contact for the referee to point to the spot.


Benzema steps up...


GOAL! Real Madrid 3-1 Man City (Benzema, 95) (agg: 6-5)


95: INCREDIBLE... REAL MADRID ARE AHEAD IN THE TIE FOR THE FIRST TIME!!


Benzema stays cool and rolls one into the corner. What has happened to Manchester City?


This is a collapse of epic proportions.


Real Madrid 3-1 Man City (agg: 6-5)


FT: REAL MADRID ARE INTO THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL!


Put May 28 firmly in your diary. It's Liverpool vs Real Madrid in the Champions League final in Paris! Yes, please.


A quite incredible comeback. One of the craziest we've ever seen.


Manchester City were moonwalking into the final with six minutes to go. Grealish then missed two big chances before Rodrygo scored twice to take it to extra time. Benzema then netted from the spot.


A quite astonishing choke from Pep Guardiola's boys.

[malmomike77]

Pretty pathetic but pep keeps fuking about with his line up, "resting" key player because 2 games a week is too much for them.

[cyrille]

Well your KdB question is answered, anyway.

[harrybarracuda]

Pretty pathetic but pep keeps fuking about with his line up, "resting" key player because 2 games a week is too much for them.

Well that or they're just a big bunch of fucking chokers.

[cyrille]

He didn’t keep any key players on the bench last night.

[harrybarracuda]

He didn’t keep any key players on the bench last night.

But.... But.... Sterling!

[harrybarracuda]

Fun facts:

6 - Pep Guardiola has now suffered six eliminations at the semi-final stage of the UEFA Champions League (also 2009-10 and 2011-12 with Barcelona, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 with Bayern Munich); the joint-most of any manager, along with José Mourinho. Crushing.

5 - Carlo Ancelotti has reached his fifth UEFA Champions League final (2003, 2005 and 2007 with AC Milan, 2014 and 2022 with Real Madrid), the most of any manager in the competition's history. Grande.

[harrybarracuda]

Maybe Shaikh Yerbooty should hire Ancelotti instead...

[Reg Dingle]

But.... But.... Sterling!

And one of Cyrilles few good FPL signings

[malmomike77]

Soooooo should i triple capt debrowner or will he sulk

[cyrille]

But.... But.... Sterling!

Wasn't kept on the bench.

But no - the defeat wasn't down to Pep's meddling.

There seemed to be a lack of true understanding of what RM at home in the CL really means though.

Real have sewn up La Liga with, is it five games to spare? They're really quite good.

This extended to Rio Ferdinand and Joleon Lescott working for BT Sport.

Ferdinand was almost as bad as in the Euros with his biased drumbeating.

[malmomike77]

^ the fact Citeh had a 2 goal margin and couldn't see out 8 minutes speaks more about them than RM who could have been 5 behind if citeh weren't so profilgate in front of goal and trabant hadn't stopped a couple. So reallly it wasnt about RM.

[cyrille]

Absolute nonsense.

Team that has won it 13 times versus team that has won it 0 times.


How can any football game 'not be about', at least partially, one of the teams playing?

You really do talk some utter