There was no white miracle in Manchester and the Real Madrid is already on vacation. Those of Zidane fell in the round of 16 of the Champions League before him Manchester City Guardiola who will fight for the Champions in the final phase of Lisbon. Real Madrid was not even close to the miracle and did not do so because of its failures in defense where those of Zidane they very much missed Sergio Ramos that from the stands gave more indications than Zidane from the lawn. For the second year in a row, the Whites said goodbye to Europe in the round of 16 and with Ramos in the stands due to suspension.
His replacement back was Militao, but the protagonist of Madrid was not the Brazilian, but Varane who made two tremendous mistakes that caused the goals of Manchester City and with them, the farewell of the whites.
The first of those errors came in the ninth minute when Gabriel Jesus stole the ball from Courtois' area. The Brazilian gave Sterling the goal that made it 1-0 for City.
Nor is it that that goal changed the plans much for a Madrid that still needed two goals, although with both Sterling, to cause extra time. The English goal was the result of Guardiola's strategy of pressing very high to cause the failure of the white centrals, in addition to making it difficult to get the ball out of a Madrid in which Modric, Kroos and Casemiro were neither there nor expected. Nor Hazard, who started, but who showed that he is far from being the destabilizing player that Madrid signed.
The whites knew they had to change after 1-0 and they did so by opening the game to the wings and dropping Kroos to get the ball to relieve the centrals. From there, Madrid grew and drew through Benzema in the 28th minute, who finished off a Rodrygo cross.
Madrid had taken the first step to dream of extra time, but did not dare to take the second and that gave life to a City that, based on having the ball and with the appearances of Sterling, took control again of the meeting. Madrid appeared little or nothing and Courtois had to appear to sustain Madrid's dream in a match that reached the break with 1-1.
Courtois saves and Varane fails
The second half started like the first, with City sending through the ball and Madrid sweating the fat drop to get the ball from behind. Courtois swelled to avoid the English goals, while Benzema was the only one who managed to disturb the City goal. This was the game when Varane again failed against Gabriel Jesus who took advantage of a bad assignment from the French to put the 2-1 on the scoreboard in the 68th minute.
From there, the white rush with Zidane suddenly entering Lucas Vázquez, Jovic and Valverde, to search for what seemed impossible against a City that was closer to scoring again than fitting.
Real Madrid could not even appeal to the epic to dream of a Champions League miracle to which Zidane said goodbye in the second round for the first time since he was on the white bench.
Manchester City, 2
Ederson; Walker, Fernandihno, Laporte, Cancelo; Gundogan, Rodrigo (Otamnedi, d. 89), De Bruyne; Foden (Bernardo Silva, d. 67), Gabriel Jesús, Sterling (David Silva, d. 81)
Real Madrid, 1
Courtois; Carvajal (Lucas Vázquez, m. 83), Militao, Varane, Mendy; Casemiro, Kroos, Modric (Valverde, m. 83); Rodrygo (Marco Asensio, m. 61), Benzema, Hazard (Jovic, m. 83)
Goals: 1-0, Sterling (m. 9), 1-1, Benzema (m. 28); 2-1, Gabriel Jesus (d. 68)
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany). Yellow to Modric (m. 81)
Stadium: Etihad Stadium