Manchester City 2-3 Real Madrid: Bellingham avoids a 'disgrace' at the Etihad Stadium

The Manchester City 'gifted' an unusual victory to the Real Madrid. The Madrid team visited the Etihad Stadium to face the 'skyblues' in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League, and after being behind on the scoreboard for a good part of the match, a poor clearance from Ederson in the last minute allowed Jude Bellingham to rescue his team and give them a one-goal advantage in the aggregate score (2-3).

Despite continuing to show mediocre football, the team led by Carlo Ancelotti capitalized on the bad moment of the Mancunians, although they suffered much more than necessary, and thanks to the 'sparks' of their individual talents in the attack, they will return to the Santiago Bernabéu with a favorable result. However, given what was seen on this Tuesday night, the tie is more open than ever. 

Haaland struck Madrid in the first half

The first 45 minutes were frantic, and although Madrid threatened several times to break through Ederson's goal, it was Erling Haaland who ended up capitalizing on his opportunity. The whites had various chances on goal, and even Ferland Mendy could have scored with the net 'empty', but their finishing let them down.

However, despite being more accurate in the attacking third, the defense of Ancelotti's team remains a drama, and the 'citizens' did not forgive. After a fantastic play by Josko Gvardiol, the Norwegian opened the scoring and, in addition to celebrating his first goal against the Madrid team, temporarily left the Madrid side on the brink of elimination.

In fact, after this goal, Guardiola's team took control of the match and, had it not been for the saves from Thibaut Courtois and the defensive work of Raúl Asencio, they could have increased their lead before heading into halftime.

Bellingham 'rescued' Madrid in the second half

Upon returning from the locker room, Erling Haaland once again threatened the Madrid team, but his shot, after deflecting off a defender, hit the crossbar. After this scare, the visitors got back into the match and in the 60th minute 'resurrected' in the tie.

Dani Ceballos filtered a great pass over the top to connect with Mbappé's shot, which, with his shin guard, connected with the ball to beat Ederson  and equalize the score momentarily. Valverde and Bellingham had a couple of clear chances to score the second goal for the whites, but the Brazilian goalkeeper and 'Lady Luck' denied the visitors the lead.

The 'citizens' punished the Madrid team's lack of finishing once again, and after a clear penalty from Ceballos on Foden, Haaland confirmed his double from the penalty spot. When everything seemed lost for the whites, Brahim Díaz, who had been on the field for just two minutes, equalized the score, and in the dying moments of the match, Jude Bellingham took advantage of a terrible clearance from Ederson to give the Madrid team the victory.

Despite their mediocre football and countless defensive errors, Carlo Ancelotti's team achieves their first victory at the Etihad Stadium. However, with only a one-goal advantage, the tie is still far from being settled, and the Madrid team will play for their lives in front of their fans next Wednesday, February 19 at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Technical sheet of the match:

• Manchester City, 2: Ederson; Akanji (Lewis, min. 46), Rúben Dias, Aké (Kovacic, min. 61), Gvardiol; Bernardo Silva, Stones, De Bruyne (Gündogan, min. 84); Savinho, Haaland, and Grealish (Foden, min. 30).
• Real Madrid, 3: Courtois; Valverde, Tchouameni, Asencio, Mendy; Ceballos (Modric, min. 81), Camavinga; Rodrygo (Brahim Díaz, min. 84), Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappé.
• Goals: 1-0, Erling Haaland (min. 19); 1-1, Kylian Mbappé (min. 60); 2-1, Erling Haaland (min. 80); 2-2, Brahim Díaz (min. 86); 2-3, Jude Bellingham (min. 90+3).
• Referee: Clément Turpin.
• Stadium: Etihad Stadium.