Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne powered home a rasping low shot from distance in 67th minute to earn them a 1-1 draw at Real Madrid in their Champions League semi-final first leg on Tuesday.
City dominated the match in the early stages but it was Real who took the lead.
Vinicius nJr netted a brilliant curling strike from the edge of the area that flew into the top-right corner with Real’s first shot on target in the 36th minute.
Real got back on top in the second half and took control, but it was City who scored after they won the ball high up the pitch and it was worked to De Bruyne who rifled a shot into the net to the goalkeeper’s right.
Mail Sport’s JACK GAUGHAN looks at some of the things you may have missed.
Brazilian forward Vinicius Jnr (right) opened the scoring in brilliant fashion from distance
Kevin de Bruyne equalised in the second half with a stunning strike from range of his own
Halsey kicks up a storm in Gillingham!
There were the usual supporters here with Manchester City.
The likes of Mike Pickering, founder of M People and close friends with Noel Gallagher, was milling around outside hours before kick-off.
But somebody more unexpected turned up. Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey, a QPR fan, was in town with his family, tweeting his journey from Alicante to Madrid and saying, ‘Come on City’.
This upset a lot of Gillingham supporters. Halsey was referee when City beat the Gills in the Division Two play-off final in 1999, scoring twice in injury time to dramatically come back from 2-0 down to win on penalties.
The length of that additional time has always been a bone of contention. One fan even called for an investigation into Halsey as tempers flared online.
Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey travelled from Alicante to Madrid for the match
Haaland mania grips Spain
Erling Haaland mania is continent-wide now.
The first thing City fans will have seen at the airport was a huge advert for luxury watchmaker Breitling bearing his face.
Newspaper AS carried the headline ‘a magician and a machine’ with pictures of City’s No 9 and Vinicius Jr.
Marca went with ‘a monster has come to see us’.
It was unusual for them to use a big image of an opposing player on the day of such a game, but that’s his pull.
Erling Haaland mania is continent-wide now as the Norwegian dominated the front pages in Spain
Show of confidence
Arsenal was the blueprint for Guardiola.
City set up in exactly the same fashion as against the Gunners, when they won 4-1, which allowed Kevin De Bruyne even more licence to roam than usual.
They dominated the ball, with Guardiola challenging his players to win the individual defensive duels – Kyle Walker against Vinicius Junior a prime example – rather than altering the shape.
A real show of confidence against this attack.
Under the cosh, but Madrid led
Real Madrid spent much of the first period in their own half, but went in at the break a goal up.
The hosts had just 32 per cent of possession and completed 125 passes, compared to City’s 315 in the first 45 minutes.
Pep Guardiola’s side had six shots in the first half but failed to score, and with their first attempt on goal in the 36th minute, Madrid took the lead.
The hosts had just 32 per cent of possession and completed 125 passes in the opening half
A Real classic
The build-up to the opening goal was classic Real Madrid.
An earlier Vinicius tackle on Rodri lit something in the stands and then a team who constantly sit back, refusing to press the ball, broke at such pace that nobody could live with them.
Rodri will feel he should not have gone to win possession as Luka Modric took him out of the game with a great touch, but this change of pace and atmosphere is what makes Real dangerous.
Ancelotti loses his cool
Carlo Ancelotti argued that the ball had gone out of play in build-up to Man City’s equaliser
Referee Artur Dias had a night he won’t be forgetting in a hurry.
Real Madrid were livid with him; Manchester City were livid with him.
Carlo Ancelotti uncharacteristically lost his rag at the Portuguese official, brandishing imaginary cards, while Pep Guardiola had chastised the officials at the break for letting the game flow too much.
Dias was never going to be in for an easy night: good luck to whoever takes charge next week.
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