Although it was always going to be a tall order for Real Madrid to beat Manchester City in the Champions League Round of 16 second leg, Los Blancos can never truly be written off.
Until Gabriel Jesus scored City’s second goal of the night and fourth of the two-legged tie, Zinedine Zidane’s side were still in with a shout of qualification thanks to Karim Benzema’s brilliant first-half header.
In the end, a master class from Pep Guardiola kept the visitors to the Etihad Stadium at bay.
Real struggled without their talisman and captain, Sergio Ramos, but had other talent in the squad to at least make a game of it.
Unfortunately for them, too many of their big names didn’t shine on the night.
Raphael Varane was at fault for both of City’s goals, whilst Eden Hazard was non-existent as an attacking force all night.
The hosts deserved their win and it was a significant one, because for the first time in 11 years in the premier European competition, it meant Los Blancos had lost both legs of a knockout tie.
Yep. And in Round of 16, too. #UCL https://t.co/UsYUasCiKt
— Semra Hunter (@SemraHunter) August 7, 2020