De Bruyne Goal earns Man City first-leg 1:1 draw Against Real Madrid
Manchester City and Real Madrid drew 1-1 in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal, thanks to an incredible equalizer from Kevin De Bruyne.
After 67 minutes at the Bernabeu Stadium, the Belgian countered Vinicius Junior’s similarly impressive first-half effort by firing past international teammate Thibaut Courtois from the edge of the box.
After 36 minutes of heated combat, Vinicius scored from 25 yards for holders Real after City had dominated much of the early play.
The outcome leaves the match in a precarious position before the rematch at the Etihad Stadium the following week.
City entered the game hoping to exact revenge for their defeat to Real at the same point of last year’s game and was unfazed by their return to the location of their late defeat in that match.
They got out to a great start, controlling possession with their customary assurance and carefully seeking for openings.
After Eduardo Camavinga and Luka Modric combined and then put Vinicius through, the hosts quickly took the lead. The Brazilian pounced on the ball quickly and blasted a fierce drive beyond Ederson.
Nevertheless, City did not give up and, thanks to a brilliant strike from De Bruyne, they tied the score in the 67th minute.
Real came on strong in the last minutes, and Ederson made some excellent stops to stop Benzema’s header and Aurelien Tchouameni’s long-range attempt.