Real Madrid vs Manchester City: Six-goal thriller in Bernabeu sets up tasty second-leg

Real Madrid vs Manchester City: Six-goal thriller in Bernabeu sets up tasty second-leg

Faruq Ibrahim 22:15 - 09.04.2024

A Federico Valverde stunner earned a late draw for Real Madrid in a pulsating 3-3 outcome against Manchester City.

Real Madrid and Manchester City both enjoyed leading positions in the game, but had to settle for a 3-3 draw, after a pulsating encounter.

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Bernardo Silva shocked Santiago Bernabeu with a goal in the second minute, but Madrid clawed back into it through a quick-fire double in the 12th and 14th minutes to turn the tie on its head.

Manchester City equalised and went ahead in the second-half, but a brilliant Federico Valverde striker earned Madrid a well-deserved draw.

How it happened

The clash came with a lot of promise, and it started to live up to the billing from the offset. 

The drama unfolded rapidly as Bernardo Silva's audacious attempt from the free-kick caught Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin off guard, giving Manchester City an early advantage. 

The free kick came after a reckless tackle from Aurelien Tchouameni on Jack Grealish which earned him a yellow card and effectively ruled him out of the second leg.

However, Los Blancos swiftly responded, with Eduardo Camavinga's deflected effort wrongfooting Stefan Ortega to bring the Spanish side level in the 12th minute. Two minutes later, Rodrygo gave Real Madrid the lead, capitalising on Vinícius Júnior's precise pass and a fortunate deflection off Manuel Akanji's boot.

Second-Half Turnaround

Despite trailing, Manchester City remained composed and patient, gradually building momentum in the second half. Phil Foden's stunning strike into the top corner levelled the tie, leaving the Santiago Bernabéu stunned. 

Moments later, Joško Gvardiol added to City's lead with an equally impressive curling effort, marking his first-ever goal for the Citizens.

As the match approached its conclusion, Federico Valverde restored parity for Real Madrid with a superb finish from Vinícius' cross, setting up a tense second-leg.