Real Madrid and Manchester City played out an entertaining 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal tie, Sportivationng.com reports.
Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for the hosts against the run on of play with a stunning effort from outside the box.
Kevin De Bruyne produced his own long range stunner in the 66th minute to bring Manchester City back into the game.
KEVIN DE BRUYNE FROM RANGE 😤😤
We're level at the Bernabéu and it's another cracking strike!
📺 Stream #UCL live: https://t.co/Tg69y0EeUL pic.twitter.com/vL5XAbf2kK
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) May 9, 2023
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was full of praise for his defenders for nullifying the threat of Erling Haaland.
“Defensively we were good. (Antonio) Rudiger against (Erling) Haaland did really well. The midfield covered well the position in front of the defence. We are satisfied. Sometimes the result doesn’t give you a credit but the performance was really good.”
Man City coach Pep Guardiola praised Real Madrid’s experience and quality in the Champions League.
“When we were better, they scored. When they were better, we scored. Tight game, Bernabeu semifinal always is difficult. 1-1, a final next Wednesday at home with our people. They (Madrid) are so demanding.
They are so good, the experience, quality. Now they travel to Manchester and we are going to see what we can do better.
When you play these type of games it’s like a playoff. The second you learn a lot from the first and hopefully we can learn and attack and defend better.”
Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric believes the tie is still open.
“I think we finished the game well, the result is still open, we played a good game, I think they didn’t create much, we had more chances and it’s a pity about their goal. I don’t think anyone will feel stronger, it’s an open result, we knew it wasn’t going to end here, and the tie is 50-50.”
Manchester City midfielder Rodri hailed his teammates for their performance in Spain.
“Very tough always when you come here. The lads were incredible, the effort was there. Sometimes it’s difficult against this team because they have a lot of quality. I think the first 25-30 minutes we controlled so good the game and the first chance they have they score a goal.
We kept in the game with our philosophy, we keep playing even though it is difficult. The key was shooting from the area in front. I tried a few times and then Kevin with the goal.”
The second leg comes up next Wednesday at the Etihad Stadium.
