Real Madrid qualified for the Champions League final at the end of the suspense. He beat Manchester City 3-1 following extra time with the English still leading in the 89th…
The scenario of this double confrontation was absolutely crazy. City, winner 4-3 in the first leg, seemed on the royal road following the goal of Mahrez (73rd) and a fairly clear domination. But Real managed a mind-blowing turnaround: substitute Rodrygo scored twice (90th / 91st) and snatched extra time, while the Spaniards had not targeted a single shot before their first goal!
A penalty obtained and converted by Benzema (95th) then sent the merengue to the Stade de France. On Saturday May 28, they will meet Liverpool in the final, as they did in 1981 (1-0 defeat in Paris) and 2018 (3-1 victory in kyiv).
Decisive Courtois
In addition to the scorers, Real owe a proud candle to Courtois. The Belgian goalkeeper multiplied the stops and kept his team alive. Without him, the people of Madrid would have suffered a clear defeat.
Often dominated in the game, they have demonstrated enormous moral and physical resources to not let go and, in the end, to defeat the Citizens. These are added to the impressive list of victims of Real this spring following Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea…
The most successful team in the competition, Real will try to add a 14th success following those won in 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018. their 17th final. So far, they have only lost three (1962, 1964, 1981).
Another failure for Guardiola and City
For his part, Pep Guardiola is still chasing a new title in major competition following his double when he led Barcelona (2009/2011). The Catalan technician then multiplied his failures with Bayern Munich and Manchester City, despite the enormous investments made by the wealthy English club.
This new disappointment, when the final was really close, might hurt a lot.
/ATS
