None of Manchester City’s players, including the substitutes, did anything wrong during their 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final second leg on Wednesday, but one shot summed up a magical night at the Etihad Stadium.
City were already ahead by a Bernardo Silva goal after 30 minutes of domination when Real finally launched an attack.
Vinicius Junior, whose sensational goal gave Real Madrid a 1-0 lead in last week’s first leg, which ended in a 1-1 draw, seemed to outpace City right-back Kyle Walker. But Walker stopped the dangerous Brazilian winger, who seemed to be walking in place.
Walker was applauded by the Etihad Stadium crowd, who turned a long-awaited encounter against the dangerous Real Madrid winger into something of a walk in the park.
And it was the same across the pitch when every player was compared to his counterpart at Real, with the 14-times European champions becoming the underdog and losing 4-0.
Karim Benzema, Real Madrid’s French goal machine and one of four key players in the Spanish giant’s squad who have won the European title five times, spent the night in the pocket of John Stones or Robin Diaz.
Erling Haaland did not score his 53rd goal with City this season, but he terrified the Real defense and would have achieved a hat-trick had it not been for three great saves from Thibaut Courtois, the only Real player who came out of a crushing evening with any credit.
Rodrygo, whose last-gasp goals broke the hearts of City’s players in last year’s semi-final, looked unheard of against City’s Manuel Akanji and was eventually substituted.
Luka Modric, the mastermind of Real Madrid, was completely dominated by Rodri.
City manager Pep Guardiola, whose schemes proved to be the cause of some of City’s Champions League disappointments over the years including the final two years ago against Chelsea, outshone the great Carlo Ancelotti.
The Italian coach was looking forward to winning his fifth Champions League title as a coach, but his 191st match in the tournament turned into a nightmare.
“From the first minute, we had the feeling that the team was ready,” said Guardiola, whose team is now three wins away from achieving the hat-trick that Manchester United last achieved in 1999. I felt we were ready to put on a good show.”
Walker said City did not have “superstars” – although you could say Guardiola’s side are simply overflowing with them.
Guardiola told reporters: “I had a feeling in the past days that we had a mixture of calmness and pressure to play this type of match. And after ten or 15 minutes I had a feeling of the pain that we suffered from last season… It was really difficult, with the defeat we lost and I think at this moment we had to drink poison.
And the Spanish coach added, “In sports, you have another chance, and when the draw resulted in facing Real Madrid, I said yes, I want that.”
Guardiola added: “We are closer. This season is really great with what we’ve already done. Fun and joy, how we enjoy this season over and over again. We delight our fans all over the world, they see a good team playing together. This is the greatest compliment.” Guardiola said that the players, coaching staff and their families will gather for the team’s breakfast before enjoying a day off today, Thursday, before preparing for the final step to clinch the Premier League title.
Even when Haaland isn’t scoring, another player makes the magic, be it Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva or as was the case in the Premier League last Sunday, Ilkay Guendogan.
“When we play together – especially here – we feel unstoppable,” said England international winger Jack Grealish.
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand could not hide his admiration for City’s performance.
“They destroyed, beat and crushed the giant of European football,” he told BT Sport.
