No Mbappe, no victory — Man City beats Real Madrid and puts Xabi's job at risk

The derby of this Champions League round was marked by Manchester City and yet another poor display from the Royal Club. It’s true that Xabi Alonso didn’t have a significant number of key players available, but a club of Real Madrid’s stature shouldn’t be looking for excuses there. The hosts did start the match well with Rodrygo’s goal, but their joy didn’t last long. O’Reilly struck first to level the score, and Erling Haaland put the game to bed already in the first half with a penalty for the final 2–1. Who knows what awaits Alonso after yet another failure…

The Champions League clash at the Bernabeu delivered a dramatic first half, with Manchester City heading into the break holding a 2–1 lead.

Real Madrid thought they had a golden chance just two minutes in, when referee Turpin initially pointed to the spot after Nunes clipped Vinicius during a quick burst into the box. However, after a VAR review, the foul was correctly judged to have occurred outside the area. Valverde threatened from the resulting free-kick, but his attempt was blocked and drifted wide.

Madrid created another promising moment in the 7th minute. A rapid counterattack saw Rodrygo switch play beautifully to Vinicius on the far side, but the Brazilian couldn’t keep his finish on target, failing to beat Donnarumma. Eleven minutes later, Tchouameni rose to meet another Rodrygo delivery, though his header flew over the bar.

The home side eventually broke through in the 28th minute. Carreras dispossessed Bernardo Silva in midfield, setting in motion a superb attacking sequence. Bellingham fed Rodrygo, who exploited the space left by O’Reilly and finished clinically from the angle to give Real Madrid a 1–0 lead.

City responded swiftly. In the 35th minute, Gvardiol climbed highest from a corner, forcing Courtois into a poor rebound that fell straight to O’Reilly, who made no mistake in slotting the ball into the empty net—an ideal way to make amends for his earlier defensive lapse.

The comeback was complete in the 42nd minute. Antonio Rudiger tugged Erling Haaland inside the box, a foul initially overlooked before VAR intervened. After reviewing the footage, Turpin awarded the penalty, which Haaland confidently dispatched to put City ahead 2–1.

Manchester City could have extended their lead deep into stoppage time. Haaland first forced a sharp save from Courtois after a well-worked move, and moments later Cherki unleashed another effort that the Belgian goalkeeper brilliantly kept out, preventing the first half from turning into a nightmare for Real Madrid.

The second half opened at a high tempo, with Real Madrid pushing to get back into the match. Their first big opportunity came in the 50th minute when Jude Bellingham latched onto a Rodrygo pass and found himself on the left side facing the goalkeeper. He attempted a delicate lob, but his effort drifted over the bar.

Just two minutes later, City nearly forced an own goal. Cherki fired through a crowded penalty area, and the shot deflected off Asensio, momentarily wrong-footing Courtois, but the ball ultimately fell safely into the goalkeeper’s hands.

Cherki continued to trouble the hosts. In the 59th minute, he found space again and unleashed a dangerous strike, only for Courtois to produce another sharp stop. Three minutes after that, City threatened once more when Jeremy Doku executed his trademark move—bursting down the flank before cutting inside and shooting. Yet again, the Real Madrid goalkeeper intervened to keep his team alive.

Real Madrid’s biggest chance of the half came in the 80th minute. Donnarumma misjudged a cross during a corner, gifting the ball to Vinicius on the far side. With the goal wide open, the Brazilian failed to keep his shot down and sent the ball over the bar.

Five minutes later, the hosts came even closer. Carreras delivered a precise cross into the box, where Endrick rose to meet it with a header. His attempt beat Donnarumma but crashed off the crossbar, denying Real Madrid a late equalizer.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Matchday 6

Tuesday

Kairat Almaty - Olympiacos 0-1 (0-0)

/Martins 73/

Bayern Munich - Sporting Lisbon 3-1 (0-0)

/Gnabry 65, Karl 69, Tah 77 - Kimmich 54 (og)/

Atalanta - Chelsea 2-1 (0-1)

/Scamacca 55, De Ketelaere 83 - Pedro 25/

Barcelona - Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 (0-1)

/Knauff 21, Kounde 50, 53/

Inter Milan - Liverpool 0-1 (0-0)

/Szoboszlai 88 pen/

Monaco - Galatasaray 1-0 (0-0)

/Balogun 68/

PSV Eindhoven - Atletico Madrid 2-3 (1-1)

/Til 10, Pepi 85 - Alvarez 37, Hancko 52, Sorloth 56/

St. Gilloise - Olympique Marseille 2-3 (1-2)

/Khalaili 5, 71 - Paixao 15, Greenwood 41, 58/

Tottenham - Slavia Prague 3-0 (1-0)

/Zima 26 og, Kudus 50 pen, Simons 79 pen/

Wednesday

Qarabag - Ajax 2-4 (1-1)

/Duran 10, Silva 47 - Dolberg 39, Gloukh 79, 90, Gaaei 82/

Villarreal - Copenhagen 2-3 (0-1)

/Comesana 47, Oluwaseyi 56 - Elyounoussi 2, Achouri 48, Cornelius 90/

Athletic Bilbao - PSG 0-0

Benfica - Napoli 2-0 (1-0)

/Rios 20, Barreiro 49/

Club Brugge - Arsena 0-3 (0-1)

/Madueke 25, 47, Martinelli 56/

Borussia Dortmund - Bodo/Glimt 2-2 (1-1)

/Brandt 18, 51 - Aleesami 42, Hauge 75/

Juventus - Pafos 2-0 (0-0)

/McKennie 67, David 72/

Bayer Leverkusen - Newcastle 2-2 (1-0)

/Guimaraes 13 (og), Grimaldo 88 - Gordon 51 pen, Miley 74/

Real Madrid - Manchester City 1-2 (1-2)

/Rodrygo 28 - O'Reilly 35, Haaland 43 pen/