Somehow, someway, Real Madrid only lost by one goal at the Etihad despite things looking beyond desperate at times.
Los Blancos conceded to Kevin de Bruyne in the first minute, and then they gave up a second goal. At several points in the match, they were down by two goals. There were moments when they were hopelessly outclassed on the ball, as Manchester City showed them another level tactically, just as Chelsea did in the second leg of Real’s last Champions League night.
In the end, Real, as they always do, did enough to keep their hopes alive. By only losing 4-3, Los Merengues have a shot at another Remontada at the Santiago Bernabeu in the second leg.
Here are the player ratings from Real Madrid’s 4-3 loss to Manchester City on Tuesday night in the Champions League semifinals.
GK Thibaut Courtois
Thibaut Courtois could do nothing about any of the goals Manchester City scored, including the outrageous goal from Bernardo Silva.
Rating: 6.0
LB Ferland Mendy
Honestly, this was another poor performance from Ferland Mendy, who made a couple of giveaways that led to either a goal for Manchester City or a great chance for the home side. Mendy offers so little on the ball and offensively that it is hard to believe he has a long-term future at Real Madrid. With Antonio Rudiger on his way, Mendy’s minutes at left back could easily be given to David Alaba next season. That said, he did well to assist Karim Benzema’s opener.
Rating: 5.0
CB David Alaba
Speaking of Alaba, the Austrian defender played injured against City and was unable to continue in the second half. He made a bizarre mistake for Gabriel Jesus’ goal that made things 2-0 for the Cityzens, but he also calmed down to have a couple of decisive interventions thereafter. Even at his worst, Alaba was probably Real’s best defender.
Rating: 5.5
CB Eder Militao
Atrocious at times, Eder Militao made some terrible one-on-one gambles that led to great chances for Manchester City, and he was the luckiest man on the pitch in the sense that the Cityzens honestly did not punish the center back’s mistakes nearly enough. Militao is having a great season, but lately he has been surprisingly poor. Madridistas oped Militao would bounce back in the big game at the Etihad, but he actually took a step backward. He also has this terrible habit of dribbling towards his own half instead of immediately clearing it.
One positive? Militao is always looking to play the progressive pass, and he had a couple of nice long balls for Rodrygo Goes.
Rating: 4.0
RB Dani Carvajal
A liability the last time Real Madrid faced Manchester City in the Champions League knockouts in the 2019/20 season, Dani Carvajal was probably culpable for losing his marker inside of him on two of City’s goals this Tuesday night.
Carvajal’s performances at the highest level have left a lot to be desired this season, whether against PSG, Barcelona, or, now, Man City. He did at least have one good cross to Militao, which the center back wasted with yet another disappointing header.
Rating: 4.0