Stars shine as Real Madrid, Manchester City play to classy draw

Real Madrid and Manchester City played out a classy, entertaining 1-1 draw in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal at the Santiago Bernabeu.

[ STATS: Real Madrid vs Man City hub ]

A stunner from Vinicius Jr put reigning champs Real ahead after Manchester City had dominated the first half but the class of the Spanish giants shone through.

Then with Real dominating the start of the second half, Kevin de Bruyne smashed home a beauty of his own to equalize as City are now 21 games unbeaten in all competitions.

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The draw means this tie is perfectly poised for the second leg in Manchester next Wednesday, May 16.

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City have the edge but Real prove their class

Manchester City will be very happy with a 1-1 draw away at Real Madrid in the first leg of their semifinal but Pep Guardiola will not be relaxing. Yes, City probably have the edge as the second leg is at home but Real Madrid’s forwards proved they will ruthlessly punish any kind of mistake next week in Manchester. The way Vinicius Jr hammered home after fine play from Modric and Camavinga proved Real’s class as City had dominated possession but the reigning European champs then strung three passes together and they had the ball in the back of the net. That is what they can do as Benzema, Vincius and Rodrygo all looked so sharp. Erling Haaland was shackled expertly by Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba but Rodri, Kevin de Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan all oozed class as City were worthy of the draw which sets things up perfectly for the second leg. The clash of styles was so beautiful to watch as City can dominate the tempo of any game but Real’s attackers can strike in an instance. The respect levels on show between Pep and Ancelotti and the players at the full time whistle showed they enjoyed playing in this as much as we enjoyed watching it. Roll on the second leg.

Stars of the show; Real Madrid vs Manchester City player ratings

Kevin de Bruyne: Scored a beauty and kept popping up in dangerous areas.

Vinicius Jr: Smashed home the opener and his quick feet bamboozled City on multiple occasions. He is pretty much unplayable right now.

Antonio Rudiger: Did a great job to stop Haaland having any impact on the game. He and Alaba used all of their experience and dovetailed superbly.

Rodri: Mopped up things masterfully in midfield and won the ball back for KDB’s goal. Pushed the limits and probably should have been booked.

Eduardo Camavinga: Fantastic display out of position at left back. Set up Real’s goal and the 20 year old was so composed.

Graphic via FotMob.com