Federico Valverde’s amazing volley guaranteed that the match ended in a 3-3 draw, meaning that both Manchester City and Real Madrid will go into the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal with everything on the line.
In less than two minutes, Bernardo Silva’s deftly executed free kick took the home crowd by surprise as the midfield wizard took Andriy Lunin by surprise. The international player from Ukraine, filling in for the injured Thibaut Courtois, was unable to stop the attempt to stop the dead ball.
But Carlo Ancelotti’s team was quick to react, and 12 minutes after losing, they were ahead. There was hope for Los Blancos when Eduardo Camavinga’s strike rebounded off Ruben Dias on its way through.
The 14-minute mark saw a brilliant combination from the Brazilians Vinicius and Rodrygo as the latter’s shot found its way into the net to give his team the lead.
Second Half Full of Wondergoals
Gvardiol, Foden, and Valverde all scored outstanding goals.
The second half saw the exciting match-up between two of the competition’s favourites continue to gain steam. In the 66th minute, the visitors tied the score at two goals after controlling the majority of the play.
With a strike that is turning into his bread and butter, Foden, who is now in the best form of his life, equalised. The unlikely goal scorer Gvardiol gave the east Manchester team the lead for the second time in the game on the 70th minute when he hammered the ball so perfectly into the side netting.
What a Goal👏👏 pic.twitter.com/3Niu1SVEUX
— RMxCR7 (@mohd4ala) April 9, 2024
Valverde was then the man to step up for Ancelotti and his entourage to pull the hosts back on level terms. A ball from Vinicius found the Uruguay international on the other side of City’s penalty box – and without a second thought, he laced the ball goalwards.
Packed with the combination of precision and power, Valverde’s well-struck effort left Stefan Ortega without a chance of keeping it out. Ancelotti, as expected, remained calm on the touch line, but the 25-year-old’s late strike could be a crucial factor when they return to action at the Etihad Stadium.