Manchester City vs. Real Madrid: Winners and Losers from Champions League
Manchester City and Real Madrid drew 0-0 in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg on Tuesday night, in a match that didn't live up to pre-game expectations.
The first half was a largely drab and uninspired affair, with both teams looking afraid to break out of shape and commit players forward, resulting in very little creativity on show. The odd long-range shot was as close as either side came to troubling either goalkeeper.
After the break, Real were marginally improved and went close from the odd set piece, but by and large it was defences on top, and there is everything to play for in the second leg.
Here are all our winners and losers from the match at the Etihad.
Winner: Zinedine Zidane
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Real Madrid didn't win or even play particularly impressively from an attacking sense, but we very much witnessed the first example of growth of Zinedine Zidane as a manager.
Previously his side has been sent out in similar fashion every game—attack, score more than the others and impress the watching fans—but perhaps the defeat at Wolfsburg in the last round was a sobering enough experience to teach the French boss the value of biding his time over two legs.
Real were withdrawn, held a good shape and didn't let their usually offensive-minded full-backs rampage forward at all for long spells, before gradually growing into the match with possession-based dominance in midfield.
Owen Hargreaves labelled it the most "disciplined" performance he had seen from Real Madrid, speaking live on BT Sport, and that had a ring of truth to it even if Real did end the game the stronger side.
Loser: Karim Benzema
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The Real Madrid centre-forward didn't last long at the weekend, starting against Rayo Vallecano before going off injured, and it proved to be the same against Manchester City.
Benzema only lasted until half-time before succumbing to his ongoing problems and had zero impact on the match in that time, dropping short with frequency to take possession rather than looking to run beyond the City defence and stretch play or give his team an out ball into the channels.
With Cristiano Ronaldo and Yaya Toure out injured before kick-off, David Silva going off hurt in the first half and Benzema joining them at the break, the attacking proficiency of both teams was sorely depleted.
Winner: Gareth Bale
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Of all the attacking players on show, Gareth Bale perhaps deserves most credit for continually trying to find new ways to force the issue, even if he was individualistic at times, and ultimately, nothing really quite came off for him.
The Welshman was marginalised in the first half, wide right and starved of possession, but after the break he switched to the left with plenty of licence to pick up the ball centrally between the lines. He showed great power and anticipation to turn and sprint into space a number of times, committing defenders and making brief openings, but his final ball or shot was invariably off target.
Bale flicked on one set piece to give Real their clearest opportunity of the game, a Pepe shot from just a few yards out.
Loser: Dani Carvajal
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Defenders were on top throughout the game, by and large, but one who did have a difficult night was Real's right-back Dani Carvajal.
Zidane has quite frequently rotated Danilo into the position, and the Brazilian has had huge criticism thrown his way for inept defending and positioning, but the 0-0 scoreline will probably mean Carvajal escapes the same level of inquest into his own performance.
Carvajal was torched a number of times by the movement and passing of Kevin De Bruyne, including one instance late in the game where the Real Madrid man conceded a free-kick and was booked for a blatant tug-back.
Winner: Joe Hart
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In a match where neither Joe Hart nor Keylor Navas had much to do at all, the English goalkeeper just edged it for vital saves and indeed participation, thanks to a flurry of attempts in the last quarter of an hour.
Concentration is as much a key trait for 'keepers as reflexes and bravery are, and Hart managed to hold his to come up big with two stops in the latter stages of the game: firstly a save with his feet after Casemiro had headed at goal, then a fantastic body block on Pepe's late effort from close range. An away goal for Real Madrid would have changed the complexion of the second leg enormously for City.
At the other end, concentration on Keylor's part was rewarded when De Bruyne tried to catch him out with a last-minute free-kick, but by and large, the Costa Rican had nothing to do all game.
