Unable to find victory, Man City bitterly exits the game.

(06/05/2025 - Views: 7)

Playing with high pressure because the common goal is victory has made the home team players unable to show the qualities they have shown in the Premier League. Furthermore, the team's lineup missing many players has caused Manchester City's gameplay to not be as before. Therefore, on the remaining feet on the field, they move laboriously as if carrying weights.On the contrary, Real Madrid marched into Manchester with a relaxed mindset, only aiming for a draw. They entered the game confidently and promptly seized opportunities to develop attacks. The dream-like result came to Mourinho's team when in the 10th minute, Benzema opened the scoring. A breakthrough from behind the defense and successfully baiting the offside trap, the French forward coolly finished past the goalkeeper Joe Hart.The early goal created a relaxed attitude for the away team players, contrasting with the heavy thoughts of the home team players. Real Madrid played better, creating a lot of pressure on the opponent's goal. Ronaldo almost scored with a header over Joe Hart, but the Man City defender was able to recover and block. There were several other situations but no goals were scored by either team in the first half.Moving on to the second half, Man City adjusted their gameplay for David Silva, Nasri, and Yaya Toure to fully collaborate. Upfront, Kun Aguero started making effective runs and Dzeko threatened the visitors. Their efforts paid off doubly as Man City equalized and had the advantage of an extra player. Aguero was brought down by Arbeloa in the penalty area, the referee quickly awarded the hosts a penalty and issued another yellow card to a Real Madrid defender.After Aguero leveled the playing field for the home team, the situation did not improve as Real Madrid continued to play as if nothing had happened with ten men. Mourinho substituted Benzema with Varane to strengthen the defense, and the game continued with both teams having an equal number of players on the field. This was the lack of sharpness of Man City in this match. Thus, the draw closed the door for Mancini's team to advance from the group stage for the second time they were eliminated from the group stage.A draw is enough for Real Madrid to secure a ticket to the next round with the second-place position, regardless of the outcomes of the final matches. Dortmund remains the favorite, holding the top spot with a safe three-point lead and a better ability to confront each other. The battle between the two lower-ranked teams is also intense as both still have a chance to fight for a spot in the Europa League.* Starting Lineups:MANCHESTER CITY: Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Nastasic; Maicon, Silva, Yaya Toure, Nasri, Kolarov; Dzeko, Aguero.REAL MADRID: Casillas; Arbeloa, Ramos, Pepe, Coentrao; Khedira, Alonso; Di Maria, Modric, Ronaldo; Benzema.