Real Madrid beat Man City in extra time

In the early morning of February 12, home team Man City led until the 85th minute but still let Real Madrid come back, winning 3-2 in the first leg of the play-off for a ticket to the Champions League round of 16.

The surprise happened when Real Madrid proactively pushed up to attack the home team Man City right after the opening whistle.

In the 10th minute, Vinicius fell in the home team's penalty area, after being challenged by Ederson. Luck smiled on Man City when the referee team determined that the away team's striker was offside. After a shaky start, Man City gradually found their rhythm and soon responded with a second-line shot from Savinho in the 15th minute.

Four minutes later, the Etihad Stadium erupted when Erling Haaland scored from close range, after Josko Gvardiol had made a wall with his chest. The referee team took a few minutes to carefully consider and measure before awarding the goal to the Premier League representative.

The loss did not discourage Real players. The away team continued to attack and were very close to equalizing. In the 26th minute, Vinicius took a bold shot from the 16.5 meter mark. Ederson was helpless but the ball hit the crossbar.

After Real had their chance, Man City responded almost immediately. In the 36th minute, Foden tested Courtois with a long-range shot. Just 1 minute later, Real fans breathed a sigh of relief when Manuel Akanji's header hit the crossbar.

The pace of the match was raised immediately after the second half whistle. Man City continued to actively press high and almost scored a second goal in the 46th minute. Starting from Asencio's unsafe handling, Haaland broke through fiercely before unleashing a tricky shot that hit the crossbar.

After escaping defeat, Real quickly regrouped to put pressure back on the ball. The La Liga side's continuous attacks were rewarded with an equalizer in the 60th minute. After a pass from Dani Ceballos, Mbappe jumped up and shot with his shin, sending the ball on an unpredictable trajectory. Ederson could only watch as the ball slowly went into the net.

The goal boosted the away team's morale. From the 64th to the 67th minute, Real had two more good chances to take the lead. However, Valverde and Bellingham's efforts to finish the game were fruitless.

Real wasted chances, and then paid the price after defensive errors. In the 77th minute, Dani Ceballos fouled Phil Foden, leading to a penalty. From the 11m mark, Haaland easily fooled Courtois with a low shot into the far left corner. The Norwegian striker scored his 49th goal in just 48 appearances in the Champions League.

When pushed into a difficult position, Real still managed to demonstrate the mettle of the "King of the Champions League". In the 86th minute, Bellingham released the ball for Vinicius to approach the goal. The Brazilian striker's powerful shot from a tight angle made Ederson unable to catch it. Brahim Diaz was there at the right time to score the rebound into the home team's net.

With only 3 minutes of injury time in the second half, fans were already thinking about a draw. But in the 90+2 minute, Real Madrid still managed to score a third goal. Mateo Kovacic's foul clearance created an opportunity for Vinicius to escape. The striker born in 2000 lifted the ball over Ederson's head for Bellingham to comfortably finish into the empty net, sealing a 3-2 victory for "Los Blancos".

The match at the Etihad ended with joy for Real Madrid. In the return leg at the Bernabeu on February 20, coach Carlo Ancelotti and his team need at least a draw to advance.