Three takeaways as Real Madrid bow out of the Champions League
By Ben Sundock
No offensive threat
Manchester City looked like the team that trailed after the first leg. The press provided by the forwards and midfielders was too much for Real Madrid to handle and they had only two chances that truly threatened Ederson in goal.
Benzema led the team in total shots with five and three were on target. As a team, Real Madrid had four shots on target and totaled nine attempts. In comparison, Man City had 20 total shots with seven on target!
How did this happen to the best defensive team in Spain this season? The high press implemented by Pep Guardiola overwhelmed Madrid’s midfield and forced turnover after turnover.
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It was quite strange to see Real Madrid in their pink kit pass the ball around the defensive third for the first eight minutes. What was the game plan out of the gates? Clearly, City read what the intentions of the attack were and shut them down.
Zinedine Zidane failed to adapt his side to the flow of the match and made his changes to the offense too late.
Bringing off Hazard and Luka Modric to add some energy was smart, but didn’t come until the 83rd minute, 15 minutes after Jesus put City up 2-1.