Real Madrid – Manchester City in the opening leg of their quarterfinal match at the Bernabéu. This matchup is a replay of the 2023 UEFA Champions League semifinal. These two European heavyweights are competing in this tournament for the third year in a row; in a thrilling last-four match last year, City prevailed 5-1 on aggregate.

1. Real Madrid – Manchester United played a terrific
Game!
Real Madrid hosts Manchester City in the opening leg of their
quarterfinal match at the Bernabéu. This matchup is a replay of
the 2023 UEFA Champions League semifinal.
These two European heavyweights are competing in this
tournament for the third year in a row; in a thrilling last-four
match last year, City prevailed 5-1 on aggregate. Joško Gvardiol,
the defender, is a serious doubt for City after being substituted out
of the 4-2 victory over Crystal Palace at halftime due to injury.
However, the fit-again Ederson might start in goal for the guests in
place of Stefan Ortega.
UEFA Champions League 2023-24 quarterfinal first leg clashes
between Real Madrid and Manchester City
Tuesday night's match between Real Madrid and Manchester City
in the Champions League was supposed to be avenged, but things
didn't go as planned at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
The opening leg of their quarterfinal matchup between reigning
champion Manchester City and record UCL winners Real Madrid
takes place at Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday. This season's
encounter will be City and Madrid's third consecutive meeting in
the European Premier Club Championship's knockout stages. In
their glorious 2021–22 season, Los Blancos prevailed in the
semifinals, and the following year, Man City won on its way to its
first Champions League victory.
There will be another intriguing Champions League match in the
Spanish capital after these matchups saw 17 goals scored in their
previous four meetings, at an average of 4.3 goals per game (seven
for Real Madrid, 10 for Man City).
Performance of Real Madrid in the first half had a lot of positives
After giving up an early goal due to strange circumstances and
getting off to the worst start imaginable—a yellow card for
Aurelien Tchouameni—Real Madrid gained momentum and began
to punish Manchester City's high line, winning the match as
everyone had hoped. It's obvious that they realized their errors
from the previous season's second leg.

2. To the point where I was taken aback that Real Madrid did not win
this game. Although real was the superior team and had more
opportunities, they were unable to capitalize on them, which was
unfortunate because, at least in the first half, they gave a
performance that deserved to be rewarded.
Los Blancos, however, have the blueprint they need to prepare for
the second leg after this game, especially the first half: wide and
high up the pitch to start, forcing the goalkeeper to play it straight
to Erling Haaland, then quickly recover possession and hurt their
backline in transitions and through long passes. Real Madrid
applied excellent pressure, and as it began to wear off, City was
able to reenter the game.
A shout-out to Antonio Rudiger of Real Madrid
Rudiger's status as the world's top center back was solidified by
this victory. This season, I don't think it's really close. Excellent
performances all year long, winning headers, commanding the
defense, understanding when to take a risk and when to back off,
and—above all—stepping up to the plate.
Although Rudiger's performances always seem to be at the top of
their game, there was something about this one that felt
particularly unique. It felt like it was more significant than most,
even if it may not have been his best—though one could argue
that it was. Rudiger was ablaze, just like the last time City was at
the Bernabeu.
He played so many excellent long balls from the back, closed off so
many vital opportunities, and pocketed Erling Haaland with
precision. Without a doubt, he was among the top players on the
field. In addition to having amazing off-ball tracking, mobility, and
defensive awareness, he also had amazing stats: three tackles
gained two interceptions, three successful clearances, and another
win in the rivalry with Haaland.