Real Madrid vs. Manchester City: Winners and Losers from Champions League
Real Madrid beat Manchester City 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday to secure passage to the UEFA Champions League final. They'll face cross-city rivals Atletico Madrid in Milan on May 28.
Gareth Bale netted after 20 minutes with a deflected strike that found the top corner of the net from a tight angle and los Blancos continued to push for more all game long. Bale shaved the woodwork with a header in the second half and Luka Modric went close too. Meanwhile, City barely threatened.
Here, B/R picks its winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Dani Carvajal, Real Madrid
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Remember when Zinedine Zidane started Danilo at the Volkswagen Arena? The Frenchman probably still cracks a wry smile of relief that that didn’t massively backfire and cost his team progression.
Dani Carvajal is a brilliant all-round right-back, and he proved how dominant he can be at both ends against Manchester City. He assisted Gareth Bale’s goal, swung in several excellent crosses, destroyed Gael Clichy moving forward and even bottled up Kevin De Bruyne defensively.
There will be no doubt in Zidane’s mind who starts the final now.
Loser: Yaya Toure, Manchester City
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Yaya Toure returned to the Manchester City XI for this game after a short period out injured. With David Silva out, Manuel Pellegrini will have been relieved one of his best and most experienced players was fit enough to take part.
Unfortunately, once the actual game started, it became clear Toure had very little intention of imprinting on the game, watching aimlessly as Real Madrid passed the ball around him and making no effort to create space for himself or teammates.
Winner: Luka Modric, Real Madrid
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Luka Modric put in a masterful performance for Real Madrid on Wednesday night, dominating in midfield with his slick combination play and perfectly executed passes.
He was taken off late on to a standing ovation, with the crowd taking the chance to appreciate his raking, scything balls through the channels and his deft touches in build-up play.
No matter how tight the spot is, he will swivel out of it, break into space and start an attack. A remarkable, world-class footballer.
Loser: Sergio Aguero, Manchester City
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Sergio, Sergio, where art thou Sergio?
For the fifth consecutive Champions League game, Sergio Aguero failed to register a single shot on target, per Squawka. His rifled effort late on on Wednesday that zipped over the bar was his first attempt on goal all night.
His disappearing act on the night—conveyed brilliantly here by B/R—will be quite familiar to anyone who has watched Manchester City in Europe this season; he has struggled immensely to translate domestic form to the continent.
Ultimately, on the night they needed him the most, Aguero went missing again.
Winner: Gareth Bale, Real Madrid
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For our last winner it was a choice between Gareth Bale and Isco. Both were superb, but the former just about edges it thanks to the fact he scored the only goal of the game.
The Welshman was pinging long-range passes across the pitch, dribbling progressively and nipping into goalscoring spaces all night. He also clipped the woodwork with a looping headed effort from a corner late in the second half.
No one in a Manchester City shirt came close to stopping him.
