Manchester City crashed out of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 after a 2–1 home defeat to Real Madrid, sealing a 5–1 aggregate loss.
Trailing 3–0 from the first leg, City’s hopes of a comeback at the Etihad were effectively ended when Bernardo Silva was sent off in the first half for handball on the goal line.
After a VAR review by referee Clément Turpin, Silva was shown a straight red card, and a penalty was awarded. Vinícius Júnior stepped up and converted, sending Gianluigi Donnarumma the wrong way to extend Real’s advantage.
Read Also: Champions League: Real Madrid hammer Man City, PSG wallop Chelsea
City had started brightly, but the dismissal left them with a near-impossible task. Real nearly struck earlier through Federico Valverde, whose effort lacked the lift to beat Donnarumma.
Despite creating chances, City were repeatedly denied by Thibaut Courtois, who produced key saves to stop efforts from Rayan Cherki, Rodri and Erling Haaland.
Haaland eventually pulled one back just before half-time to offer brief hope, but City failed to mount a second-half comeback.
Vinícius sealed the result deep into stoppage time with his second goal of the night, confirming Real Madrid’s comfortable progression to the quarter-finals.
With their Champions League campaign over, Pep Guardiola’s side must now pivot quickly to domestic silverware, including this Sunday’s League Cup final against Arsenal.
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
