There will be no English teams in the semifinals of the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League, after a penalty shootout loss saw Manchester City crash out of the competition.
Having battled to earn a 3-3 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu, Pep Guardiola’s men needed to win when they returned to a fervent atmosphere at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday – but despite a spirited performance, a series of poor penalties brought an end to their hopes of a double-treble.
Real Madrid will face Bayern Munich in the semifinals.
Embed from Getty ImagesAs it happened
Pep Guardiola expressed that the pressure was firmly on Mancunian shoulders ahead of Wednesday’s second leg – and the Spaniard looked to have been proven right, with his side crumbling after twelve minutes when Rodrygo put los Blancos into the lead on aggregate.
The Cityzens recovered well though, and were the dominant force for prolonged periods of the match. Real Madrid’s watertight defence finally broke fifteen minutes from time, with Kevin de Bruyne pouncing to turn Antonio Rüdiger’s clearance past Andriy Lunin.
Thirty minutes of extra time saw the hosts pitted against a Carlo Ancelotti side that defended as if their lives depended on it – and with neither side able to find a breakthrough, penalties were in order to decide who would face Bayern Munich after their earlier victory over Arsenal.
Embed from Getty ImagesLuka Modric missed Real Madrid’s first effort and the Cityzens looked destined to progress as a result, but woeful efforts from Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic cost Pep Guardiola’s men dearly – allowing Rudiger to dispatch a composed effort past Ederson, who himself had netted a convincing effort just seconds prior.
The double-treble hopes are over for Manchester City, but there is no time to rest as attention must now turn to Saturday’s Emirates FA Cup semifinal against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.
The lineups
MCI: Ederson; Gvardiol, Dias, Akanji, Walker; Rodri; Grealish, Silva, de Bruyne, Foden; Haaland
RMA: Lunin; Mendy, Nacho, Rüdiger, Carvajal; Kroos, Camavinga; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Valverde; Vini Jr
