Manchester City have reached their second Champions League final after beating Real Madrid 4-0 on Wednesday night.
It was all to play for the Etihad, with the first leg of the semi-final tie finishing 1-1 in the Spanish capital eight days ago. A pulsating first-half performance from Pep Guardiola’s side allowed them to establish a two-goal advantage, with Bernardo Silva hitting a brace.
From there, City didn’t look back. An own goal from Eder Militao and Julian Alvarez’s late strike settled the tie, with City’s hopes of winning a Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup treble – emulating Manchester United in 1999 – more alive than ever.
City will face Inter Milan in the final in Istanbul on June 10 after the Italian giants defeated local rivals AC Milan 3-0 on aggregate in the other semi-final tie. Here are the main talking points from City’s unforgettable display against the dethroned European champions.
With a squad as strong as City’s, all eyes were on Guardiola’s starting XI ahead of the second leg. He picked an unchanged team from the 1-1 draw in Madrid last week, with Jack Grealish picked ahead of Phil Foden on the left flank and Riyad Mahrez benched.
As for Real, Militao returned to Carlo Ancelotti’s side after missing the first leg through suspension, with Antonio Rudiger dropping to the bench. That was a brave call, as former Chelsea defender Rudiger put in a stellar display against City’s fierce attack a week ago.
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