Manchester City and Real Madrid played out a thrilling six-goal encounter in their Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Bernabeu, leaving the tie finely balanced.
The scoring started early as Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva expertly curled a 25-yard free-kick past Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin in just the second minute.
Real Madrid responded with two deflected goals to draw level. Eduardo Camavinga’s long-range strike deflected off Ruben Dias and found the net, followed by Rodrygo’s goal, which came after he capitalised on a defensive error and poked the ball home via Manuel Akanji’s heel.
Despite City’s dominance in possession, they struggled to convert until Phil Foden’s moment of brilliance. Foden found space outside the box and unleashed a powerful shot into the top corner to equalize for City.
Josko Gvardiol then gave City the lead with a superb right-footed strike, marking his first goal since joining from RB Leipzig. However, Real Madrid responded once again, as Federico Valverde scored a stunning volley to level the match.
The thrilling encounter sets up an intriguing second leg at Etihad Stadium on April 17th, with memories of City’s 4-0 victory over Madrid in last season’s semi-finals fresh in mind.
Concerns arose for City as Foden was seen hobbling after a late tackle on his ankle.