Madrid: Real Madrid was holding on to the positives after coming close to being routed by Manchester City but staying alive in the Champions League semi-finals.
Madrid lost 4-3 in the first leg in England on Tuesday, but it was one of those defeats that allowed for some celebration.
Pep Guardiola’s City had plenty of chances to put the series away, but instead Madrid found a way to fight back and they go into next week’s second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium only a goal down.
Happy with team's attitude
“You are never happy when you lose, but we have 90 minutes ahead of us to make the difference at the Bernabeu,” said Madrid forward Vinicius Junior, who scored one of the goals for the Spanish powerhouse.
Karim Benzema scored the others as Madrid trailed by two goals three times at Etihad Stadium.
“The next game will be different,” Vinicius said. “I’m really happy with the team’s attitude. We were 2-0 down against an extremely good team and we come away with our heads held high and ready to put in a good performance in the return leg.”
Better show in second leg
Madrid just won’t go away this season, having already rallied in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 and against defending champions Chelsea in the quarter-finals.
Madrid know they will have to do better than they did on Tuesday, though, to reach their first Champions League final since winning their last title in 2018.
“We have to stay calm and improve our performance if we want to advance,” Vinicius said. “We have to improve pretty much in all areas and start the game better so we don’t concede early goals that make it difficult for us to recover.”
Madrid were losing 2-0 by the 11th minute on Tuesday, and coach Carlo Ancelotti said the team will have to defend better next week.
Poor start
“We started the game very poorly. We were too soft,” he said. “It’ll be really important to improve defensively in the return leg. I have a very experienced team that keeps its cool when things get tough. These players have been in many games like this and never give in. They always keep their heads up.”
Ancelotti said he doesn’t expect another back-and-forth match like the first leg, when both teams had significant chances. “It’ll be a different match,” he said. “City has the advantage and you have to take that into account. I hope that our fans demand a better performance from us so we can reach the final. Our fans have to be ready because we are going to fight to make it another magical night.”
Decisive goal
Madrid are hoping for a third straight Champions League comeback at the Bernabeu to remain in contention for a record-extending 14th European title.
Against PSG, they needed a second-half hat-trick by Benzema after losing the first leg 1-0 and conceding a goal early in the return match. Then, they were down 3-0 at home in the second leg against Chelsea when they scored twice to recover, including in extra time, to advance on a 5-4 aggregate score. The decisive goal was scored by Benzema, who is having his best season and now is the Champions League’s leading scorer with 14 goals.
“Miracle after miracle,” said the front-page headline of the Marca on Wednesday. “Madrid stays alive in Manchester and it will all come down to the Bernabeu.”
