Haaland Wins Mbappé Duel, But Manchester City Squander Another Lead In Champions League Defeat To Real Madrid

Manchester City suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League knockout phase playoff at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday. Despite Erling Haaland’s brace, which saw him outscore his rival Kylian Mbappé, City conceded two late goals to hand the Spanish giants a crucial advantage ahead of the second leg at the Bernabéu next week.

Pep Guardiola’s side led 2-1 after 86 minutes, with Haaland’s goals sandwiching Mbappé’s fortuitous equalizer. However, former City forward Brahim Díaz came off the bench to level the score before Jude Bellingham scored a stoppage-time winner, stunning the hosts and leaving them with a mountain to climb in the return leg.

The late collapse continues a worrying trend for City in the Champions League this season. They have now thrown away leads against Sporting CP, Feyenoord, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid, conceding nine goals in the final 16 minutes of their European matches.

The highly-anticipated clash also saw the rare head-to-head meeting between Haaland and Mbappé, two of the world’s most high-profile forwards. Haaland drew first blood with a well-taken opener in the 19th minute, while Mbappé equalized early in the second half with a fortunate goal that ballooned off his shin and into the net. Haaland restored City’s lead from the penalty spot, but it was Mbappé who had the last laugh as his side secured the victory.

Real Madrid’s super-sub Brahim Díaz proved his worth once again, showcasing his clever movement and instinct for finding the net as he started and finished the move that made it 2-2. His impact highlighted the importance of having game-changing options off the bench, especially with the likes of Vinícius Júnior, Bellingham, and Rodrygo often occupying the starting spots in Carlo Ancelotti’s lineup.

For City’s Jack Grealish, the night started promisingly as he produced a moment of brilliance to set up Haaland’s first goal. However, his joy was short-lived as he limped off the pitch moments later, looking devastated and receiving consolation from Guardiola and Haaland. The injury setback could further hinder Grealish’s chances of regaining a regular starting spot in the team.

Vinícius Júnior, who was the target of boos from the City fans throughout the match, rose to the occasion and played a key role in Madrid’s late rally. His lofted pass over Ederson set up Bellingham’s winner, capping off an impressive performance from the Brazilian winger.

After the match, Vinícius Júnior spoke about the banner displayed by Manchester City fans, which backed Rodri in their Ballon d’Or dispute. “I saw [the banner],” Vinícius told Movistar. “But when opposition fans do things, it always gives me more strength to play a great game, and here I did that. … [City] know our history, and everything we’ve done in this competition.”

Coach Carlo Ancelotti also commented on the banner, saying, “I don’t know if Vini saw it, but having seen the game, if he saw it, it was a big motivation for him.”

Ancelotti praised his side’s performance and the impact of the late goals, stating, “This is the way. We’ve been talking about it for a long time. The season really starts now, and despite all our difficulties, we’ve got a very good result. The four at the back [Raúl Asencio, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Federico Valverde and Ferland Mendy] had never played together or even trained together, and they had a spectacular game. … From this emergency, we got something good.”

The Italian coach also expressed optimism about the availability of senior defenders Antonio Rüdiger and David Alaba for the second leg.

City defender John Stones admitted to feeling “anger and frustration” following the late collapse. “We need to see games out better,” Stones said. “The manager said we need to take accountability for what we do on the pitch, I think we do that. We need to step up when these bad moments happen.”

Guardiola acknowledged the recurring issue of late collapses, saying, “After 2-1, it happened what has happened many times this season. Against Feyenoord, Sporting, Brentford, [Manchester] United. At the end we give away. At that level it is so difficult. It is not the first time, it has happened many times, and that is why it is difficult. We talk about that but that is hard. It has happened many times.”

As Manchester City now face an uphill battle to progress to the round of 16, they will need to produce a remarkable performance at the Bernabéu next week to overturn the deficit…