Decisive Penalty Shootout: The King’s Courage Secures a Well-Deserved Semi-Final Ticket.

Carlo Ancelotti’s squad excellently defeated Man City after 120 minutes of play, thereby securing a spot in the UEFA Champions League 2023/24 semi-finals.

The focal match of the UEFA Champions League 2023/24 quarter-finals between Man City and Real Madrid was incredibly thrilling.

With the home advantage, it was no surprise that Man City took control of possession and launched dominating attacks from the outset. However, Real Madrid demonstrated their danger by taking the lead with a goal in the 12th minute.

Starting from a lightning-fast counterattack, the ball was swiftly passed to Vinicius Jr., who provided a perfect cross for Rodrygo to shoot close to the goal. The ball hit Ederson and rebounded, and Rodrygo quickly followed up with a shot into Man City’s net.

Rodrygo opens the scoring for Real Madrid.

Trailing early on, the Etihad hosts surged vigorously in search of an equalizer. Wave after wave of attacks flooded towards Los Blancos’ goal. However, the first half ended without any further goals being scored.

Entering the second half, the one-sided dominance continued in favor of Man City. Meanwhile, Real Madrid actively retreated deep into their defensive formation to preserve the scoreline.

After numerous dangerous goal-scoring opportunities, The Cityzens achieved their goal with an equalizing goal in the 76th minute. Substitute player Doku delivered a cross from the right wing, causing Antonio Rudiger to inadvertently deflect the ball onto De Bruyne’s foot. The Belgian midfielder immediately fired the ball into Real Madrid’s net.

De Bruyne equalizes for Man City.

The match became extremely tense in the final minutes, with both teams showing great determination. However, no further goals were scored, and the match had to proceed to 30 minutes of extra time.

The tightly contested battle continued during the extra time period, and the score remained 1-1 after 120 minutes of play. Man City and Real Madrid then entered a decisive penalty shootout.

In the first penalty shootout, Luka Modric failed to beat goalkeeper Ederson. However, both Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic from Man City missed their penalties, leading to the home team’s defeat in a thrilling penalty shootout.

With victory over Man City, Real Madrid advances to the semi-finals to face Bayern Munich.