The Ethiad stadium as a carousel of goals, which at the final triple whistle, at the end of a sumptuous match for talent and emotions, intensity and stellar rhythm, deservedly rewards the City: but the poker trimmed to a Real Madrid never tamed, is not enough to the Citizens to mortgage the second consecutive Champions League final.
The final verdict of this stellar match, which ended in Manchester 4-3 for the hosts, is therefore postponed in a week at the Bernabeu.
The chronicle
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Champions: Manchester City-Real Madrid 4-3 - Football
For the English De Bruyne opens and Silva closes, Benzema double (ANSA)
The start of the match of the Citizens is an adrenaline rush that stuns Real Madrid.
While on the sidelines Pep Guardiola extends a warm embrace with his friend Carlo Ancelotti, on the pitch his players are furious as if possessed.
And not even two minutes pass that they are already ahead.
Cue on the right of Riyad Mahrez who cuts undisturbed the Madrid defense, on his punctual cross the shot of Kevin de Bruyne for his 15th goal of the season, which earned him the fastest ever goal in a Champions League semi-final (73 seconds) .
Defenseless and dazed, Real can't react, City is relentless in raging.
This time the action develops on the left, Phil Foden's finesse frees Kevin de Bruyne, who hits low: David Alaba lingers in freeing,
Gabriel Jesus takes advantage of it for doubling.
Real had never conceded two goals in the first 11 minutes of a Champions League match.
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SPECIAL Champions: the picture of the semifinals - Specials
Liverpool-Villarreal and City-Real in the semifinals © Ansa
Only then - two goals ahead - the hosts catch their breath, yet they are still the best opportunities.
Two, in rapid succession, like their dizzying starts: but first Riyad Mahrez then Foden are too selfish as they are imprecise.
Undeservedly pardoned, Real just need a few minutes to overturn the inertia of the confrontation.
To play the charge can only be Karim Benzema, in the 600th match with the merengues shirt.
At half an hour the Frenchman takes off for Alaba who kicks just outside.
Then with a flying deviation, on Ferland Mendy's cross, Benzema scores the 16th goal in his last 12 outings with Madrid.
The City feels the blow and immediately risks a sensational draw: Rodrygo's diagonal, Ederson saves himself in the corner.
The inertia of the match does not change in the second half, which opens with the post hit by Mahrez: on the rebound of Foden, a providential Dani Carvajal saves an empty net.
The script is the same: Real cautious holed up in his own trocar, City master of the field with his insistent phrasing.
Deserved, after 7 ', comes the trio: cross from the left by Fernandinho, inzuccata by Foden.
But when the challenge finally seems to be unbalanced on the side of the English, here is the new paw of Real: ball and chain for the entire half of the City, Vinicius Junior makes no mistake in front of Ederson.
The thousand lives of Real, who undergoes the goal of Bernardo Silva but shortens from the spot with the usual Benzema,
at the 41st center of this amazing season.
Thus ends 4-3 between emotions and wasted opportunities especially by City: all postponed to May 4 in Madrid for the qualification speech for the Champions League final
