Manchester City's Champions League Hopes Crushed by Real Madrid in Thrilling Quarter-final Second Leg
Real Madrid 4-3 Manchester City (agg 6-5)
Madrid Advance to Semi-finals in Dramatic Penalty Shootout
Manchester City's Champions League dream came to a heart-wrenching end on Wednesday as they were defeated 4-3 on penalties by Real Madrid in a pulsating quarter-final second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Despite taking an early lead through Riyad Mahrez, City found themselves trailing 3-1 at half-time after goals from Karim Benzema, Rodrygo, and Marco Asensio. The English champions staged a stunning comeback in the second half, with Mahrez scoring another and Phil Foden equalizing in the final minutes.
In the penalty shootout that followed, City missed two attempts while Real Madrid converted all four of theirs. Karim Benzema, Rodrygo, Luka Modric, and Thibaut Courtois were all successful for the hosts, while İlkay Gündoğan, Gabriel Jesus, and Jack Grealish failed to convert for City.
The defeat marks the end of a disappointing campaign for City in Europe, who were also eliminated in the semi-finals by Real Madrid last season. Meanwhile, Real Madrid have reached the semi-finals of the Champions League for the seventh consecutive season and will face either Chelsea or Bayern Munich in the last four.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was left devastated by the defeat, saying: "It's hard to find the words. We played a great game and created so many chances. But we couldn't score enough goals, and it cost us in the end."
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was delighted with his team's victory, saying: "This is a great night for Real Madrid. We showed our character and resilience, and we never gave up. I'm so proud of my players."
Dazn
Yahoo Sports
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