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90+1 min We’ll have three additional minutes.
90 min Doku is still at it, winning yet another corner. I’ve really enjoyed his performance tonight, and if he can keep whizzing crosses to the near post and cut-back to the second six-yard box, Haaland might soon resume scoring at his accustomed rate.
87 min City have had their moments in this tie, but Madrid fully deserve their passage, riding out difficult moments at the start to produce the transcendental brilliance that settled things. I can’t wait for their tie with Bayern; meantime, Arsenal are almost through to meet Sporting, having been treated very kindly by both Champions League and FA Cup draws this season.
85 min Oh my complete and utter days! “With this tie drifting to a close,” begins Kári Tulinius, “here is some extraordinary news. CAF have retroactively awarded the 2025 Afcon title to Morocco. Brahim Diaz will be getting a gold medal in the mail, presumably.”
Wow, wow, wow! I can’t say I’m exactly shocked, as you can’t have teams sulking off the pitch if things go against them, a point that needs reinforcing before the World Cup. But confiscating a trophy hasn’t happened, I don’t think, since Calciopoli, and just this week, we saw Chelsea punished for cheating but allowed to keep the titles it delivered.
83 min Madrid come again, Donnarumma saving from Vinicius, then from someone else, I didn’t see who, then Valverde slides into the unguarded net, and the flag goes up. Meantime, VAR checks the shirt-pull on Mbappe, and I think Ait-Nouri lets go a split-second before he makes it into the area … but is it a red card? If you’re asking me, I can’t fathom a reason it isn’t, but the officials decide not.
81 min In comms, they discuss whether the Prem isn’t as good as we think, more on which in a second because Vinicius has fed a ball down the line for Mbappe, whose first touch takes him away from Ait-Nouri … who chases after him, pulling his shirt as he sets to shoot, then letting go. No penalty, says the ref, the defender doing just little enough to avoid punishment.
80 min Beaten by a through-pass, Alexander-Arnold yanks back Marmoush and is booked. I’d have been tempted to let that go if I was him – this tie is over, and he’l not want a suspension later in the competition.
78 min Again Doku goes at Alexander-Arnold, cutting back for Cherki, whose shot is blocked, then Cherki digs out a cross for Ait-Nouri, who heads home … from an offside position.
76 min Mbappe is booked – for what I’ not sure, as my picture jumped.
76 min Ah, when Madrid made those changes, City replaced Rodri with Gonzalez.
76 min “Bernardo Silva,” begins Jonathan Griggs. “13 goals and 13 assists in 51 games in 2018-19. I am at a loss as to why this is considered the second best statistical season in the Premier League. Based on what parameters? Can someone enlighten me please?”
Did anyone say that was the case? I though the judgment was impressionistic, not data-driven.
74 min Changes for Madrid: Camavinga and Angel replace Thiago and Guler, their jobs done.
73 min Doku hasn’t stopped trying to make stuff happen, winning another corner, and I wonder if this is low-key a breakthrough match for him. Rather than constantly attack his man, he’s mixing it up really well now, able to threaten inside and out, passes and crosses; a proper winger.
71 min Now City win a corner … which Lunin punches clear. So far, this has been an impeccable piece of reserve goalie-ing.
70 min City make first contact with the corner, but Mbappe, lurking on the right side of the box, measures it on to his instep, volleying … just wide.
69 min Alexander-Arnold swigs the corner in and Tchouameni is up at the near post, glancing a header that Donnarumma does really well to turn over the bar because that came at hi quickly.
69 min Change for Madrid, Mbappe replacing Diaz.
68 min Khusanov scuds a low shot just wide, then Alexander-Arnold lasers a pass to Vinicius on the left of the box, but he takes his time deciding on his next move and when the ball reaches Fran, his cross is blocked by Khusanov, who’s played well tonight.
65 min “Two things epitomise how Haaland’s last few months have gone,” reckons Joshua Keeling. “Being taken off in the derby and now in this game, when City were/are desperate for goals.
City in general haven’t been awful in that period, but it seems like the way Guardiola has rejigged the team just doesn’t suit Haaland. And because the team was previously rejigged to suit Haaland, they haven’t got as many goals among the rest of the team as they used to have either.”
IU’m surprised Caherki has featured less recently, because he’s someone I’d imagine could deliver the passed slipped in behind on which Haaland thrives, while Doku has served him well from out wide tonight. But they’re no longer dominating every game with 65% possession, so don’t have the same scope to create that they once did.
63 min So City counter, Cherki dribbling deep into the Madrid half at inside-left before feeding a pass in behind that perhaps might’ve come sooner. Doku draws the keeper then slides by him and into the net, but the flag then goes up.
62 min Back with our game, Vinicius goes through and Donnarumma comes out but daren’t make a challenge, so Vinicius tries to ruin into him, winning a corner … which comes to nowt.
62 min Oh and Chelsea now trail 3-0 on the night, 8-2 on aggregate. This is a proper doing.
61 min Declan Rice has scored a lovely goal to put Arsenal 2-0 up on the night ant 3-1 up on aggregate. Leverkusen had their chance last week and, I’m afraid to say, blew it at the last.
60 min I wonder if the signing of Semenyo was the beginning of a change in style for City, and if in the future, they may move to a pivot-style of centre-forward; he is not an obvious provider for Haaland, who might need to develop his game to stay in situ.
58 min “Bernardo Silva gave the second best individual season in the Premier League in the modern era in 2018-19, second only to De Bruyne’s the season before,” reckons Christopher Faherty. “Him and his manager are a fair old chalk off that now.”
That’s a very bold claim and not one with which I can agree. Salah last season, Cantona in 95-96, Henry various times, Van Nistelrooy 02-03, Ronaldo 06-07 and 07-08 were all better, in mine.
57 min Two more changes for City, Semenyo and Marmoush on for Haaland and Nunes.
55 min City have looked good with 10 men, but Madrid send a ball into space, Diaz after it … so out of nowhere, Khusanov glides alongside and confiscates possession. His recovery pace is some extreme behaviour.
53 min Madrid, four points off Barcelona in The La Liga, play Atletico at the weekend so, understandably, are taking heat out of the game, knocking the ball about … and Rudiger giving it away passing out of defence. Ake pounces, finds Cherki who finds Haaland, and again, Lunin must beat clear when the shot comes in, before Rodri – who’s had several attempts on goal tonight – drills wide.
51 min “I reckon it will be mutually beneficial for both parties if Pep calls time at the end of the season,” reckons Kevin Wilson. “Pep’s style of old feels like from a bygone era and he doesn’t really have the squad for it now (recent recruitment has been pretty scattergun and unsuccessful). They’ve a pipeline of domestic talent they should make better use of. Get someone like Iraola in and rebuild.”
I wrote this earlier in the week but I’m not sure Iraola’s style scales up to a team seeking to dominate – much as i admire him. If Guardiola left, I’m really not sure where City would go, but the two outstanding candiadtes are Lis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann, I guess.
50 min Doku has played well tonight, picking really clever passes, and with Alexander-Arnold expecting to be run it, instead he punches a square pass to Haaland who shoots … and Lunin parries really well, the rebound falling back to the Norwegian Les Dawson … who shoots over.
48 min Looking at how City have reorganised, Khusanov is at right-back with Guehi in the middle; Ake has gone to left-back, Nunes right-midfield, and Ait-Nouri left.
46 min Thiago plays a clever pass around the corner for Vinicius, who has Diaz inside him, pleading for a pass. But instead he tries a curler which won’t come back enough, and the ball flies wide.
46 min We go again.
Ch ch changes: Lunin, the hero in the 2024 semi, replaces the wonderful Courtois in the Madrid goal, while City send on Ake and Guehi for Dias and Reijnders.
“What’s wrong with Haaland,” says Ben Barclay, “is Pep has set up City too narrow, with the wrong players inside, so nary a cross for service, nor a clever passing sequence to feed from.
What’s wrong with the officiating is that changing the offside call to accommodate a penalty is weak, and with the ball not going in, Bernardo didn’t prevent a goalscoring opportunity.
Real Madrid are a shadow of their former selves, but still the horror living under Pep’s bed every night.”
Bernardo stopped the ball going in, and if it wasn’t offside, had the ball gone it, it would’ve been a goal.
“This game reminds me of the Ronaldo hat-trick game at Old Trafford in 2003,” returns Niall Mullen. “The concept of defending seems to have disappeared and the team who were obviously getting eliminated have had a gazillion chances. Vini J is ruining my analogy though by not getting a Brazilian hat-trick in Manchester (yet).”
Yes, Madrid won that tie in the first leg, delivering a performance that was not in keeping with their work before it that season. Of course, they then got Nedveded in the semis.
