Manchester City have learnt so much during this Champions League campaign which has taken them to the brink of the final but here they were delivered a lesson.
There is no shame in going out to the Galacticos of Real Madrid – who set up a second all-Madrid final in three years as they will face Atletico Madrid in Milan – but too many of City’s big players did not turn up.
It was not a good night for Yaya Toure, in particular, or for Sergio Aguero, the two biggest names, with City never quite overcoming the early loss through injury, again, of their totemic captain Vincent Kompany. On his return to Real, where he was sacked after a season, Manuel Pellegrini’s City career effectively came to a close. Pep Guardiola will not be succeeding another Champions League winner as he did at Bayern Munich.
“We’re not really here,” sang the City fans and not so long ago they would barely of dreamt of being involved in such a fixture. It would be churlish to criticise too much but their team did not show enough urgency, enough quality despite the closeness of the score-line, settled by an own goal, which was mainly a result of Real’s failure to take their chances.
As the Real team bus snaked its way towards the stadium, the scenes outside were extraordinary. Thousands upon thousands of fans waited in expectation, mobbing the vehicle, flares firing, arms raised in an almost spiritual imploration. “Venceremos” (We will overcome) read one banner and the sense of anticipation, the expectation that led Real coach Zinedine Zidane to admit failure to reach the final would be a “disaster”, almost the sense of entitlement was enveloping.
To put some context into this tie it was City’s first European Cup semi-final and Real’s 27th – and their sixth in succession although there was a qualification to that. They had only won one of those previous five – when they went on to claim “La Decima” (The Tenth) two years ago – and so there was a thread of trepidation also with City representing something of the unknown because of their newness to this kind of occasion.
That had to be exploited. But it would have to be done so without Kompany with the central defender lasting less than 10 minutes before he played a pass and crumpled in a heap in the centre-circle. It looked like – again – his calf had popped and he limped off appearing distraught as, once more, his body had let him down.
It dimmed a bright start for City who had lost their leader, their rallying point on such a big night for them with Real almost exploiting it immediately as Cristiano Ronaldo – fit and starting – reaching a cross in the heart of City’s defence. The chance was there but he could only guide his header over. A roar of disappointment rang around the arena.
But it triggered wave after wave of attack with City, unfortunately, cracking. Unfortunately, also, given there was a slice of fortune for Real as Gareth Bale’s shot – it looked more like a cross if truth be told – from a tight angle took a deflection of Fernando, as he attempted to cover, to deceive Joe Hart and nestle in the top corner of the net. Still City had been all too easily carved open down their left by Dani Carvajal’s simple pass.
It also made the aggregate score in six Champions League matches here this season a daunting 19-0. But one away goal would change everything. City did not need to win. But they did need to score and had an opportunity as Jesus Navas’s speed took him clear down the right. Sergio Aguero was waiting in the centre but, maddeningly, and predictably, Navas’ final ball let him down and his namesake – Real goalkeeper Keylor Navas – collected.
“Juntos No Hay Imposibles” (together nothing is impossible) read a vast banner unfurled by the Real fans prior to kick-off and there are enough Spanish speakers in the City team so that hopefully they could translate that message. Now it was City who needed to believe.
They needed their big players – Aguero, Yaya Toure, Kevin De Bruyne – to step up but they were struggling to impose themselves, Toure in particular. Finally, they found some fluency and De Bruyne had an effect as he picked out Fernandinho in space on the left and the midfielder quickly fired in a low shot from the area’s edge. It clipped the outside of the post with Navas beaten; what a difference that would have made.
At half-time Uefa credited Bale’s ‘goal’ as a Fernando own goal – would they have done that with Ronaldo? – to rub further salt into that City wound but although they were smarting there was still hope. They had been dominated but not in terms of the score-line. But clearly the sense was a second goal would kill it and Eliaquim Mangala did superbly to cut out a cross that Ronaldo was set to turn home.
Only Jese’s wastefulness – with a poor cross and then snatching at a shot – failed to extend Real’s lead. Then Luka Modric could not believe that he was clear through, was almost too close to Hart in fact, with the City goalkeeper then brilliantly diverting his effort for a corner.
Modric knew, though, that he had to score with Hart then holding on to a Ronaldo header back across goal and later denying the striker after he sent in a low shot. It was beginning to be Hart against Real with Modric – closely followed by Isco – carving City open time and time again before Bale reached a corner and angled a header across goal only for it to crash off the post. Another let-off.
The home nerves grew. They should have been out-of-sight but had not taken their chances and that, and City’s doggedness, gave hope.
There was frustration also with Lucas Vazquez fortunate to escape dismissal for an ugly challenge on Raheem Sterling. At the death Aguero finally had a chance – but his shot skimmed over.
