Manchester City Implode Once Again as Jude Bellingham’s Dramatic Winner Hands Real Madrid a Narrow Advantage

Manchester City vs Real Madrid has become a near permanent fixture in the latter stages of the competition. However, this time around, the two heavyweights met each other earlier than anyone expected. That said, fans were still expecting a thriller, and the two teams didn’t disappoint, as they played out a five-goal thriller which had everyone on the edge of their seats.

Even before the match, the atmosphere at the Etihad Stadium was raucous. As the players walked out of the tunnel, the City fans unfurled a banner featuring Rodri kissing the Ballon d’Or, accompanied by the words, “Stop crying your heart out.” The message was a not-so-subtle dig at Vinicius Junior and Real Madrid, who famously skipped the Ballon d’Or ceremony in protest. They believed Vinicius deserved the award over Rodri, and the Brazilian has made his feelings known ever since, repeatedly stating that he was the rightful winner. The banner only added fuel to an already fiery encounter. 

Backed by their passionate home crowd, Manchester City came out firing, immediately putting the reigning champions under pressure. Their early intensity paid off in the 19th minute when Josko Gvardiol expertly chested the ball into Erling Haaland’s path, and the Norwegian made no mistake, smashing a volley past Courtois. Surprisingly, it was Haaland’s first-ever goal against Real Madrid. Despite their dominance, City went into halftime with just a slender one-goal lead. After the break, Carlo Ancelotti’s side responded with renewed urgency, pushing forward in search of an equalizer. Their persistence paid off in the 66th minute when Kylian Mbappe found the back of the net in somewhat fortuitous fashion. The Frenchman mistimed his volley from a looping Dani Ceballos pass, but the ball still floated past Ederson, catching the City keeper off guard and bringing Madrid level. 

City had a golden chance to put the game to bed in the 80th minute when Dani Ceballos brought down Phil Foden inside the box. Haaland stepped up confidently and coolly slotted the penalty into the bottom left corner, grabbing his second of the night and his 48th goal in just 49 Champions League appearances. With City back in front and the clock ticking down, it seemed like they had finally done enough to secure the win. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Pep Guardiola’s side this season, it’s that they struggle to hold onto leads. They had already let a 3-0 advantage slip against Feyenoord, who stormed back to draw 3-3, and surrendered a 2-0 lead to PSG, who turned the game around to win 4-2. So, despite being in control, City weren’t safe yet—and Madrid made sure of it. 

With just four minutes left in regulation, former City man Brahim Díaz capitalized on a chaotic moment in the box. Ederson’s attempt to parry Vinicius Jr.’s shot fell kindly to Díaz, who made no mistake, tapping in to make it 2-2. Then, in the dying moments of stoppage time, disaster struck for City. A nervy backpass from Mateo Kovacic to Rico Lewis allowed Vinicius to steal in and loop the ball over from the left. Jude Bellingham was quickest to react, darting in front of John Stones and slotting home the dramatic winner.  

After their win, Bellingham summed up Madrid’s performance on the night. “It was a weird one. We played some of our best football of the season and ended up behind,” Bellingham said. “I think we were playing well and creating a lot. We were always confident throughout the game that something would drop for us. I don't care what form City are in, they are still an unbelievable team. It's always tricky to play against them and we finally took the chance at the end.” Following the dramatic loss, Manchester City have a mountain to climb as they now visit Santiago Bernebeu next week.  

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