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Manchester City took benefit of two surprising errors by Raphael Varane to beat Real Madrid 2-1 of their Champions League final 16 second leg on Friday and advance to the quarter-finals as Pep Guardiola got here out on prime in his duel with Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman had by no means been knocked out of Europe’s elite membership competitors as Real coach, main them to a few consecutive victories between 2016 and 2018 in his first spell earlier than returning to the job final 12 months. But Madrid had been left with a mountain to climb on this tie after throwing away the result in lose 2-1 within the first leg in Spain in February, earlier than the coronavirus compelled the competitors into hibernation.
An equivalent defeat at an empty Etihad Stadium means it’s City who advance 4-2 on combination.
Without Sergio Ramos attributable to suspension, Real have been undone by errors by their different first-choice centre-back.
Varane was dispossessed contained in the field within the ninth minute permitting Raheem Sterling to place City forward, and his poor headed backpass try gifted Gabriel Jesus one other objective halfway via the second half.
Before that second objective the tie had been within the stability with the in-form Karim Benzema having scored for the guests simply earlier than the half-hour mark.
The circumstances could also be extremely uncommon, however that is nonetheless City’s most interesting Champions League end result, their most important victory in a knockout tie.
“We beat a top team, the best club in this competition so for us it is massive,” Jesus instructed BT Sport.
City’s greatest efficiency within the competitors stays a run to the semi-finals in 2016, once they went out slightly limply to Real.
Now, with solely two former winners nonetheless concerned in Bayern Munich and Barcelona, City ought to very probably be thought of the favourites to win the competitors in Lisbon on August 23.
If they accomplish that, the victory would style all of the sweeter coming so quickly after their profitable attraction to the Court of Arbitration of Sport towards a two-year ban from Europe handed down by UEFA for Financial Fair Play breaches.
They have already certified for subsequent season’s match after coming second within the Premier League however now they will stay up for dealing with Lyon within the quarter-finals subsequent Saturday on the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
Real, in the meantime, will recover from this.
They have dined out on success within the Champions League lately however their principal goal after the coronavirus shutdown was to win La Liga they usually did that.
“I think we get nine out of 10 for this season,” mentioned Rodrygo. “We don’t deserve 10 because of the Champions League but we have still had a great season.”
Zidane’s crew overhauled Barcelona due to 10 successive victories after La Liga returned in June however they weren’t particularly prolific in entrance of objective throughout that run, regardless of Benzema’s positive type.
– Uphill battle –
It was already going to be an uphill battle for them within the absence of Ramos, despatched off late within the first leg, and their process turned even tougher after they conceded an early opener.
City’s excessive urgent paid off as Varane was barged off the ball in his personal space by Jesus, who squared for Sterling to roll in.
There was a response from the 13-time European champions, although, with Benzema and Eden Hazard forcing saves from Ederson earlier than their equaliser arrived within the 28th minute.
A positive transfer ended with Benzema feeding Rodrygo and the younger Brazilian clipping in a cross from the best for the Frenchman, who rose above Aymeric Laporte and Fernandinho to go in from the sting of the six-yard field.
It was his 65th objective within the Champions League, placing him one away from Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski on the general checklist and behind solely Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Raul.
Unfortunately for Real, Benzema was not in a position so as to add to that tally and this tie was successfully ended by one other Varane blooper.
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The Frenchman struggled with a clumsy excessive ball downfield and his header again in direction of Thibaut Courtois was quick, permitting Jesus to prod it past the goalkeeper and into the web.
Real is not going to return to Lisbon, the place they received the Champions League in 2014, however the dream stays alive for Guardiola and City.
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