Many fans were surprised to realize that Real only had one shot in the first half of the Champions League semi-final second leg, losing 0-4 to Man City.
Midway through the match, WhoScored posted a first-half shot chart, showing Man City had 13 shots, while Real had just one. "Is this a practice match?" one fan asked on Twitter . "Shame on Real." Another admitted: "Real can't come back this time."
In the first 15 minutes, Real passed the ball only 13 times. Meanwhile, Man City passed the ball 124 times. If it weren't for Thibaut Courtois, last season's Champions League champions might have had to pick the ball out of the net early.
First half shot diagram of Man City 4-0 Real match on the evening of May 17. Photo: WhoScored
The Belgian goalkeeper saved two close-range headers from Erling Haaland. One of them was a diving save that narrowly missed the post. "Great save," many fans commented.
But Courtois could not save Real from a humiliating defeat. In the 23rd minute, he was helpless against Bernardo Silva's shot into the near corner. In the 37th minute, the Portuguese midfielder shone again with a header into the top corner.
Man City continued to play better after the break. In the 76th minute, Akanji headed the ball off Eder Militao and changed direction to make it 3-0. Just after the second half, Julian Alvarez shot a shot past Courtois to seal the 4-0 victory.
Silva opened the scoring in the Man City 4-0 Real match on the evening of May 17. Photo: Reuters
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand likened Real to rabbits looking at car headlights, as if they had no idea what was going on. "It was a crushing defeat," Ferdinand said. "Man City were masterclass. They dominated from the start and completely took the game away from Real."
Ferdinand also noted that Real have a rich history and a great squad of players, but are no longer themselves.
With a score of 4-0 in the second leg of the semi-final, Man City won 5-1 on aggregate. Coach Pep Guardiola's team will play Inter in the final on June 10, in Istanbul, Türkiye. Man City has never won the C1 Cup/Champions League, while Inter has three titles.
Man City also have a chance to win two other trophies. They will be crowned Premier League champions on 21 May if they beat Chelsea at home. Man City are top of the league with 85 points after 35 games, four points ahead of Arsenal, who have played one game less. On 3 June, Man City will face Man Utd in the FA Cup final.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid will finish the 2022-23 season with the Copa del Rey. They will still play in the Champions League next season, as they are in the Top 4 of La Liga. Last season, Real Madrid came from behind to beat Man City 6-5 on aggregate in the semi-finals, then beat Liverpool 1-0 in the final, to win their 14th European Championship.
Thanh Quy (according to Twitter )
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