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Real Madrid beat Manchester City 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, May 4 in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. Los Blancos won the tie 6-5 on aggregate to set up a date with Liverpool in the final on May 28.
After an exciting and cagey first half, Riyad Mahrez opened the scoring in the 73rd minute of the game. The Algeria international smashed one to beat Thibaut Courtois at his near post after receiving the ball from Bernardo Silva.
Just as the game looked settled in favor of Manchester City, Rodrygo Goes pulled one back for the hosts in the final minute of the game. The Brazilian poked one in from close range after some brilliant work down the line by Karim Benzema to cut one back. Rodrygo scored once again just one minute later as he headed in a cross from Dani Carvajal after receiving some help through Marco Asensio along the way.
Early on in the first period of extra time, Benzema won a penalty for his side after drawing a foul from Ruben Dias. The France international slotted one in perfectly from the spot to win the tie for Real Madrid.
On that note, here's a look at the five biggest talking points from the game:
#5 What a week it has been for Real Madrid
Real Madrid bagged the La Liga title last weekend following their 4-0 win over Espanyol. To top the feat, they made an astounding comeback against Manchester City to book a slot in the UEFA Champions League finals. With this win, they enter their 17th European Cup final.
Real Madrid are eyeing their third trophy of the season after bagging the Spanish Super Cup and La Liga earlier this season.
The Spanish champions displayed their elite mentality once again to overturn a challenging situation. Carlo Ancelotti's men have never been the favorites to reach so far but have won over everyone with their 'never give up' attitude.
#4 Pep Guardiola and Manchester City misjudge Real Madrid
Pep Guardiola subbed off key players like Kevin de Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez when Manchester City were a goal up. The Spaniard completely misjudged the might of Real Madrid as he let euphoria cloud his judgment for a while.
Manchester City failed to learn their lessons from Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea and went on to make the same mistakes as the two clubs. They allowed Real Madrid to sneak back into the game as the Cityzens dozed off at the back. With the entire Santiago Bernabeu rallying behind them, there was no way the visitors were getting anything out of the game in extra-time.
#3 Eduardo Camavinga puts in a massive performance
Eduardo Camavinga left his mark on the game with a mighty impressive performance against Manchester City. The French international was heavily involved in all the goals Real Madrid scored.
Camavinga put in a diagonal ball for Karim Benzema which he pulled back for Rodrygo's first. For the final goal, he was involved in a link-up play with Federico Valverde which eventually led to Benzema earning a penalty for his side. Camavinga won five duels, made three recoveries, won two of his four attempted tackles and made two clearances during his stint after coming on in the 75th minute.
#2 Real Madrid show considerable improvement in defense
Real Madrid's defenders were horrific in the first leg. Manchester City were all over them and could have scored more had they been more clinical. Eder Militao and David Alaba were completely stunned by the pace of City's attacks.
Keeping in mind their defensive performances in the first leg, fans and pundits all over the world were not very optimistic about their chances. But what transpired at the Bernabeu was something special as Militao, Dani Carvajal, Nacho and Ferland Mendy did a great job of shutting down Manchester City's attackers.
Mendy could have done better for Riyad Mahrez's opener, but made a save off the line to deny Jack Grealish in the dying minutes of the game. Meanwhile, Thibaut Courtois was his usual self at the back as he made some world class saves to deny the visitors.
#1 Rodrygo Goes shines for Los Blancos
Rodrygo Goes came on in the 68th minute of the game in place of Toni Kroos. The Brazilian added his own flair to the right hand side as he scored two goals in quick succession to pull the game into extra time.
Rodrygo won five duels, made six recoveries, made two interceptions, won one of his two attempted tackles and completed one successful dribble throughout his stay on the pitch. His performance completely revived a lost Real Madrid side. He continued his red-hot form and displayed his clinical finesse.
