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AS IT HAPPENED

As it happened: Real Madrid v Manchester City, Champions League

We were at the Santiago Bernabeu to see if Manuel Pellegrini could get his side to a European final in his last season at the club.

Good evening, everyone.

Welcome to our coverage of what promises to be an intriguing battle in Madrid. Because of Joe Hart’s heroics in the first-leg, it’s all to play for at the Santiago Bernabeu. Can Manuel Pellegrini reach a Champions League final, despite being elbowed out of the club to make room for Pep Guardiola? What a story that would be.

The teams are in. And there are some very interesting updates…Here’s how Real Madrid will line up.

And here’s what Pellegrini’s starting XI looks like.

For Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo returns and leads the line alongside Gareth Bale and Jese.  No Karim Benzema, remember, because of injury while Casemiro also misses out.

The big news from City’s camp is that Yaya Toure is deemed fit enough and is selected. It means Kevin de Bruyne will push wide and attack from the left.

Real Madrid bench: Casilla, Varane, Danilo, James Rodríguez, Kovačić, Lucas Vázquez, Mayoral.

Manchester City bench: Caballero, Kolarov, Mangala, Sterling, Delph, Bony, Iheanacho.

Ominous for City and shows just how much Real struggle when Ronaldo isn’t on the pitch (like in the first-leg, for example).

The last time City visited Madrid’s hallowed home turf, there was a scoreless first-half and five goals in the second.

This man grabbed one as City ran Real close.

The Spaniards won 3-2 that evening.

Soccer - UEFA Champions League - Group D - Real Madrid v Manchester City - Santiago Bernabeu Adam Davy Adam Davy

It looks like an amazing atmosphere at the iconic stadium. There are a couple of familiar faces in the crowd too. Novak Djokovic has just taken his seat.

Oh, and there’s this guy too. I won’t dare and put together Oasis-related puns because…well, Whatever.

Handshakes done. A quick recap on the teams.

Madrid XI: Navas, Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo, Modric, Kroos, Isco, Bale, Jese, Ronaldo.

City XI: Hart, Sagna, Kompany, Otamendi, Clichy, Fernando, Fernandinho, Touré, Navas, De Bruyne, Aguero

KICK-OFF! 

Modric was absolutely outstanding in the first leg. He’s already had a few touches here. What a sensational player.

City have started quite well here. They certainly don’t seem frazzled and Aguero has already been involved a few times, with Toure linking up with him.

SUBSTITUTION! Mangala (on) – Kompany (off)

What a disaster this is for Manchester City. The captain is forced off after just 9 minutes because of injury. Another one. Goodness me. It’s very innocuous. He plays a pass and seems to catch something – maybe it’s a groin issue? We’ll find out in due course. But that’s heartbreaking.

Frustrating from the centre-back. City had been frustrating Real by keeping the ball well.

CLOSE! First decent chance. Ronaldo makes a little cameo about 45 yards from goal as he back-heels to Carvajal. Then, in an instant it seems, he sprints into the area and gets on the end of the right-wing cross. The header is too high though and he cries out in frustration.

Here’s a list of Kompany’s injuries since arriving at Manchester City.

KompanyInjuries

Unsurprisingly, Real have come right back into it. That injury to Kompany disrupted the early momentum City had created. The hosts have taken advantage and City are finding it difficult to get the ball here.

Modric, impishly, creates some space on the edge of the area before he’s hacked at by Fernandinho. He plays on though before Fernando gets a challenge in. No free-kick for the Croatian and he’s not impressed.

GOAL! Bale! 

So simple in its creation. Carvajal slips it into the right channel of the area and City just fail to react to Bale’s run. He may have looked to cross it with his right foot as the angle wasn’t too kind for him but it deflected off Fernando and looped up and over Hart, hitting the far post on its way to the net.

Decent response from City. Fernando heads over from a corner while Navas gets in down the right side and tries to send in a low cross but Navas deals with it.

City are in trouble here. They can’t put two passes together and are treading water. Real Madrid are well on top and you’d worry about this if the home side were to get a second in the next few minutes.

Ronaldo is on the ground for the second time in quick succession. He didn’t get anything after the first tussle with Otamendi but he’s brought down by Sagna and it’s a clear foul. Free-kick for Real.

BOOKING! Pretty strange yellow card to get. De Bruyne was in after Toure slipped through a great pass but he thought he was offside – put off by the white jerseys around him sticking their arms in the air. As Marcelo takes possession by the corner flag, de Bruyne catches him and it’s deemed serious enough to go in the book. A weird one.

Better from City in the last few minutes. They’ve forced a corner here after Aguero had a sniff in the area but Real deal with it comfortably. It would seem their best route to goal is in that right channel – with Navas seeing a lot of the ball. De Bruyne is dropping in-field too, away from the left touchline.

VERY CLOSE! That’s offside and a let-off for City. A brilliant free-kick from Kroos whips it to the far post. Pepe gets the initial touch and it may be Ramos who eventually pokes into the net. But the whistle goes and it’s disallowed.

Real go close twice and it’s Marcelo involved on both occasions. Firstly, Modric plays him in with a delicious ball with the outside of his boot. The cross just misses Ronaldo. Moments later, Ronaldo’s back-heel is perfect for the full-back and sets him free in the left-channel but it’s called back for offside. Replay shows it’s another bizarre decision.

Space, space, space. Isco draws about three towards him and knocks it inside to Bale. He looks up and there’s nothing for ten yards. He races forward and smacks a low drive towards goal but it’s easy for Joe Hart. Luckily.

VERY CLOSE! Big moment. De Bruyne picks it up and gets turned in a dangerous zone. He slips it to Fernandinho who instantly cuts inside and drives the shot towards the near post. It hits the outside of the upright. That’s their best chance of the game.

HALF-TIME! 

That Bale goal has now been given as a Fernando own goal. So, the Welshman is still waiting for his first Champions League strike since 2014.

Anyway, interesting half and made more interesting by the sight of Ronaldo on the ground just before the whistle went, grimacing and clutching his hamstring. That can’t be good.

Real deservedly in front after City were rocked by that injury to Vincent Kompany after just 9 minutes. They had started brightly and the change seemed to break up the momentum, leaving them dazed for quite a while.

The hosts took full advantage and went in front ten minutes later.City have offered some threatening play but de Bruyne is surely central to their hopes of getting something. He was named wide left but constantly drifts inside. With Toure contributing little, that would be an obvious change for Pellegrini though he only has two left now so has to think wisely.

Ryan Bailey here taking over for the second half. If City are to turn this around and advance to the final, they need to come out and play with some intent.

Of course it’s easier said than done but this game is drifting by them and they must address the areas which they were second best in during that first period.

But the away goal rule means the Premier League side are still very much in this.

Back underway in the Spanish capital. Ronaldo has returned for the second half and is moving freely after going down just before the interval.

If City are to find a way back into this tie, they need to get Aguero involved. The striker was isolated in the first half and saw very little of the ball.

There are certainly brighter signs for City in the opening five minutes of this half. Yaya Toure and Aguero haev already seen more of the ball than they did in the previous 45 minutes of football.

With the scoreline as it is, the tie is still very much in the balance despite Real Madrid’s utter dominance of that first period.

Superb ball from Gareth Bale as he picks out Ronaldo, who had just dropped off Mangala. The Portuguese forward was unable to connect with the cross-field cross and his effort trickles through to Joe Hart.

At the other end, Kevin de Bruyne gets in behind but the chances comes and goes in a flash as he’s unable to get any purchase on his effort.

SAVE! The Man City defence stops and Modric finds himself in acres of space with just Hart to beat. There is no flag, despite the appeals, but the midfielder is unable to finish from close range and the visitors are let off the hook.

CLOSE! Madrid just knocking on the door. Carvajal gallops down the right, gets to the byline and stands one up to the back-post. Ronaldo doesn’t need a second invitation to attack it and he heads back across goal but Hart dives to his left and makes a comfortable stop.

Zidane makes his first change of the night as Lucas Vazquez is introduced for Jese Rodriguez. 35 minutes remaining and City, despite seeing a bit more of the ball, are just being overrun in midfield and exposed defensively.

The hosts continue to boss proceedings in what has developed into attack versus defence for the most part. Yaya Toure doesn’t really look interested and City’s defence simply can’t deal with the pace and power of Ronaldo, Bale and co.

SAVE! Hart once again keeps Madrid at bay. Ronaldo, as he so often does, gets in behind and the ball is perfectly weighted for him to swivel and shoot first time, but Hart is equal to the task.

Toure is hauled off. Pellegrini has seen enough and Raheem Sterling is brought on with 30 minutes remaining.

OFF THE BAR! From the resulting corner, Bale rises highest and glances it goalwards only for it to come back off the bar. City’s goal living a charmed life at the moment.

Mangala finds himself on his backside and Ronaldo is quick to pounce, as Clichy comes across to deflect the shot behind.

Not quite sure how Real Madrid aren’t two or three up at this stage. They’ve been utterly dominant but, as of yet, have failed to find the end product in this second half.

Real Madrid v Manchester City - UEFA Champions League - Semi Final - Second Leg - Santiago Bernabeu Hart thwarts Luka Modric. PA Wire / Press Association Images PA Wire / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

 

And the Man City manager calls on Iheanacho to come on for Navas. Last throw of the dice from Pellegrini?

Another change for the home side as Isco makes way for James Rodriguez. Not a bad sub to make with a little over 20 minutes remaining.

Manuel Pellegrini cuts a frustrated figure on the touchline and he doesn’t quite have the same luxury but needs to find something or else this game is going to pass his side by.

They’re relying on a 19-year-old academy product at the moment.

It’s been a pretty poor game for a Champions League semi-final second-leg. City have showed little or no heart and are heading for the exit door with a whimper while Real Madrid have been far from their best.

But, that said, Pellegrini’s side remain in the contest with 15 minutes remaining. They just need one chance, one bounce of the ball.

Tempers starting to flare. The referee steps back before calming everyone down and restarting the play. Real Madrid still in cruise control but haven’t been able to kill off the game.

That should have been a red! Vazquez catches Sterling with a nasty, nasty challenge and somehow escapes punishment. City do have a free-kick in a good position.

But de Bruyne tries to catch the goalkeeper out at his near post and it’s a poor effort with plenty of City shirts in the box. That just about sums the visitors up tonight. Time is running out. Six minutes remaining.

City suddenly beginning to play with a bit of energy and purpose. Madrid are making their final change as Modric, who has been outstanding again, makes way for Mateo Kovacic.

Madrid are all over the place. A ball over the top forces Navas to come off his line and he just about does enough to clear the danger. We’ll have four minutes of injury time.

CLOSE! So, so close. Aguero drops off and finds a pocket of space. Madrid don’t close him down and he unleashes a dipping effort which has the goalkeeper scrambling, only for it to shave the bar.

Last chance saloon for City – and the way Madrid have responded to a bit of pressure shows what a missed opportunity this will be for the Premier League side.

Full-time! Real Madrid 1-0 Manchester City 

Madrid keeping the ball in the corner and time is nearly up.

Real Madrid will meet their near neighbours, Atletico, in the Champions League final. City were second best tonight and didn’t deserve to advance but they missed a real trick here because the hosts were there for the taking.

It was a pretty poor effort from City. They could only muster one shot in the second half and their Champions League league campaign, which promised so much, ends with a whimper.

Their players didn’t rise to the occasion and it passed them by. It’s a learning curve and there were many positives from their campaign but over the two legs they simply didn’t do enough.

Thanks for joining us this evening, there will be plenty of reaction to come later. Until next time, goodbye.

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