The home advantage of Bernabeu and seasoned Champions League arena helps Real Madrid enter the confidence in welcoming Man City in the first round of the 1/8 round. However, the attacking efforts of the host were not enough for them to score in the first half. It was not until the second half that the deadlock was opened and the scorer for the "White Vulture" was Isco.
Leading the table, Real Madrid took the initiative to reduce the tempo of the match and this is probably their mistake. Man City had more space and started a massive attack. In the 78th and 83rd minutes, they had goals from Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne, which led backwards 2-1. The nightmare of Real Madrid has not ended. Exactly 3 minutes after the second goal, Real captain Sergio Ramos received a red card and left the field after a foul on Jesus just outside the penalty area.
With a lack of players for the remainder of the match, Real Madrid could do nothing but lose 1-2 overall. This result makes them extremely disadvantageous to win tickets to go on when the return leg on 18/3 here, coach Zinedine Zidane and his students will have to visit guests at The Etihad of Man City.
Losing 1-2, but coach Zinedine Zidane still expressed optimism. According to the French manager, the defeat at the Bernabeu against Man City was a bad result for Real Madrid, but his students had 90 minutes in the second leg and although very difficult, everything was not closed.
“We played well in the first 75 minutes of the game but didn’t get the focus needed after that. The whole team was not happy because of this defeat but it was not over. We still have a second leg to change everything. Obviously this is not a good result, but it needs to be positive, "Zidane said.
“I am not happy with what my players have shown in the last 10 minutes of the game. We change and make mistakes, mistakes that hurt the team. We lost our focus at the most important moment against a dangerous opponent like Man City and had to pay for it. It’s not easy, but we have to go to Man City and win, "the French military official concluded.
