MANCHESTER, England — The resilience of Real Madrid shines once again as they pulled off an astonishing comeback against Manchester City in a thrilling Champions League match. Jude Bellingham’s stoppage-time goal not only clinched a 3-2 victory for Madrid but also granted them a crucial advantage heading into the next leg at the Bernabeu.
In a heart-stopping finish to the first leg on Tuesday, Madrid found the net twice within a mere six minutes, disrupting City’s hopes that seemed rooted in their earlier dominance. After 80 minutes, City held a 2-1 lead thanks to two goals scored by Erling Haaland, showcasing their attacking prowess. However, a resilient Madrid answered back with goals from Brahim Diaz and Bellingham that ignited their side and left City reeling from a setback that has now seen them concede seven goals in the final minutes of Champions League matches this season.
City’s defender, John Stones, reflected on the game, stating, “We need to see games out better, that’s for sure. We have to stay positive, which is difficult right now.” Bellingham’s decisive moment arrived just in time, as he calmly slotted home a pass from Vinicius Junior in the second minute of injury time. This moment harked back to memories of Madrid’s past encounters with City, particularly their awe-inspiring comeback during the semifinals in 2022 that ultimately led to City’s elimination.
Despite the disheartening nature of the result, City retains hope for the second leg. Pep Guardiola expressed his frustrations with the team’s inability to manage crucial moments, sharing, “It’s not the first time, unfortunately; it happened many times and that’s why it’s difficult for us.” He acknowledged his longstanding commitment to improving the team and managing such situations. The latest defeat also came at a cost, as it ended City’s remarkable 35-match unbeaten streak at home in the Champions League, a record dating back to 2018.
City initially surged ahead with Haaland’s 19th-minute opener. Real Madrid, however, faced some earlier misfortunes, including a penalty call being overturned for offside and a blocked shot from Ferland Mendy. Vinicius Junior struck the crossbar with a curling effort shortly before the halftime break. Haaland almost doubled the tally shortly after the interval when he again hit the woodwork. It was Madrid that found the equalizer around the hour mark, thanks to a rather fortunate goal from Kylian Mbappe, whose misdirected effort found it way past Ederson into the net.
City regained the lead from the penalty spot after a foul on Phil Foden by Dani Ceballos, with Haaland converting the spot kick effortlessly. Just when it looked like City had the situation under control, former City youth product Diaz entered the fray and leveled the match once more before Bellingham’s game-winning strike sealed the night for Madrid.
In other Champions League action, Paris Saint-Germain made significant strides toward progressing to the next round with a dominant 3-0 victory over Brest. Juventus also enjoyed success, claiming a 2-1 win against PSV Eindhoven. Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund continued their momentum with a solid 3-0 triumph over Sporting Lisbon.
Ousmane Dembélé played a pivotal role in PSG’s success, scoring two goals and extending his impressive scoring streak to ten consecutive games, totaling 18 goals during this impressive run. His efforts helped PSG establish an early lead with a 21st-minute penalty, followed by two more goals in the match including his productions in the 45th and 66th minutes.
Juventus’s late heroics were aided by substitute Samuel Mbangula, who netted the winning goal, marking his first in the Champions League. Weston McKennie had previously opened the scoring during the first half, and Ivan Perisic ensured the home fans’ nerves were calmed with a fine finish early in the second half.
Serhou Guirassy stood out for Borussia Dortmund as he scored once and assisted another as they overpowered Sporting Lisbon. Dortmund capitalized on crosses with their goals coming in quick succession, and Karim Adeyemi capped the scoreline off during a quick counter, further cementing Dortmund’s position for the knockout phase.
With each team vying for advancement, the stakes remain high as they prepare for their upcoming matches in this fiercely competitive tournament.
