Manchester City came from behind to defeat Real Madrid 2–1 in the Champions League on Wednesday, intensifying pressure on Xabi Alonso and plunging his future as Madrid coach into serious doubt.
Playing without injured superstar Kylian Mbappé, Madrid struck first through Rodrygo. But goals from Nico O’Reilly and an Erling Haaland penalty completed the turnaround for Pep Guardiola’s side, earning City a crucial three points.
Spanish media had reported before the match that a loss would all but seal Alonso’s exit, and while Madrid delivered a spirited performance, the final result only deepened frustration inside a tense Santiago Bernabéu.
The 15-time Champions League winners have now managed just two victories in their last eight games across all competitions and face an uphill battle to secure a top-eight finish in the league phase.
Alonso was forced to keep his leading scorer Mbappé on the bench due to knee discomfort, calling it “a risk” to play him. In his place, the coach started 21-year-old striker Gonzalo García.
Madrid eliminated City in last season’s play-off round, winning 6–3 on aggregate with Mbappé scoring four times. Wednesday’s clash marked the 15th meeting between the modern European rivals and opened at a frantic pace, with Vinícius Júnior central to the early action.
Vinícius went down under a challenge from Matheus Nunes, prompting the referee to award a penalty, but VAR overturned the decision after determining the foul occurred outside the box.
City defender O’Reilly deflected Fede Valverde’s powerful free-kick wide before Vinícius narrowly missed after a sharp low cross from Rodrygo lured goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma off his line.
Madrid’s dominance paid off in the 28th minute when Rodrygo finished a sweeping move begun by Álvaro Carreras. Jude Bellingham released the Brazilian, who fired low across Donnarumma into the far corner. The strike ended a run of 33 games without a goal for Rodrygo and marked his fifth against City; his dramatic 2022 semi-final brace remains one of the tie’s defining moments.
But City equalised against the run of play seven minutes later after a costly error from Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian failed to gather Josko Gvardiol’s header, allowing O’Reilly to stab in the rebound from close range.
Ice-cold Haaland
Guardiola was unimpressed with City’s first-half display but still saw his team enter the break ahead. Antonio Rüdiger hauled down Haaland in the box, and the Norwegian striker — who will meet Mbappé’s France at next summer’s World Cup — dispatched the penalty with trademark composure, wrong-footing Courtois.
Courtois redeemed himself before halftime with a superb double save to deny Haaland and Rayan Cherki, and later kept out a Jeremy Doku effort after the restart.
Bellingham had a chance to equalise but lifted his chip over the bar after Rodrygo slipped him through.
Alonso responded by introducing Arda Güler for García and shifting Bellingham into the central attacking role he excelled in under Carlo Ancelotti last season. He later turned to young forward Endrick , whom he has barely used since arriving and the 19-year-old came close, heading just over with five minutes remaining.
Madrid, however, ran out of ideas in the second half and may soon be looking to a new coach for fresh solutions.
AFP
