By Alex Al-Kazzaz
The Champions League knock-out playoffs are complete. The competitors for the Champions League's Round of 16 are official, and the draw takes place on Friday. The biggest story of the knock-out playoff phase is Manchester City's elimination at the hands of Real Madrid. Since 2022, Real Madrid vs Manchester City in the Champions League knock-out stage has arguably been the BEST thing in the sport. Now, the latest chapter on the rivalry between the two European giants has been written and PUBLISHED.
The lesson we learned from the first encounter between Real Madrid and Manchester City in the knock-out playoff phase is that a ONE-GOAL lead is ANYTHING BUT SAFE. In other words, being up one goal does NOT guarantee that the win is secure. Going into this game, Real Madrid had a one-goal lead on aggregate and they knew that Manchester City was capable of overcoming it. Fortunately, for Real Madrid, Manchester City failed to do so. Real Madrid won the second leg 3-1, resulting in a 6-3 aggregate finish.
In 2022, Real Madrid dumped Manchester City of the Champions League and went on to win it all. In 2023, Manchester City returned the favor and went on to win it all. Last year, Real Madrid dumped Manchester City of the tournament again and went on to win it all. Now that Real Madrid has dumped Manchester City out again, will they win it all again? It's a longshot...
The biggest story from this game is Kylian Mbappé's hat-trick, his first at Santiago Bernabeu. Mbappé's hat-trick is another story in the latest chapter of the Real Madrid vs Manchester City rivalry. Another headline is Erling Haaland NOT being in the starting lineup for Manchester City along with Kevin de Bruyne. Pep Guardiola reportedly said that Haaland not playing was because the Norwegian striker was not feeling well.
For the first time in over ten years, Manchester City has failed to advance to the Champions League Round of 16. This loss was Manchester City's 13th of this season, the most ever under a club led by Guardiola. This season has been the worst for Guardiola in his managerial stint with Manchester City. Frankly, this season has to be considered the worst in his entire managerial career.
Manchester City never had a chance in this game, but they deserve credit for fighting through it. Manchester City goalie Ederson made five saves and the defense registered 16 clearances. The Manchester City attack had four shots-on-target and got one goal out of it. Despite Haaland's absence, the attack still had chances. Things could have been worse for Manchester City. They're fortunate that they only conceded three goals in this game. However, the six goals conceded overall really tell the story.
Real Madrid's win is respectable, however, it is a tale of missed opportunities. A total of eight shots-on-target for Real Madrid, with three goals. At least twice, Real Madrid missed out on scoring opportunities that should have been successful. Thibaut Courtois made three saves while the Real Madrid defense registered 18 clearances. All of Mbappé's goals came with assists. Missed opportunities have been one of several problems for Real Madrid all season. Inconsistency, injuries, and lack of strong productivity have been a problem. Real Madrid not long ago was on top of La Liga with a comfortable lead, and now, that's no longer the case.
Both Manchester City and Real Madrid have had difficulties this season. Manchester City has got the worst of it. It doesn't look like Manchester City will retain the Premier League title, but they're determined to try their luck in the FA Cup and the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup.
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