Manchester City have been knocked out of the Champions League in the round of 16 as Vinicius Jr scored twice in a 2-1 win for Real Madrid that sealed a 5-1 aggregate victory.
Beaten by three goals in Madrid last week, it was always going to require something perfect at the Etihad Stadium but Bernardo Silva’s first-half red card for handball made that impossible with Vinicius Jr converting the resulting penalty kick.
Thibaut Courtois had to pull off a string of impressive saves early on but Pep Guardiola’s claim that “it is more about how well we are going to defend” proved prescient. Fede Valverde, the hat-trick hero in Madrid, even missed a big chance in the opening minute.
Vinicius doing what he could not do in Spain and beating Gianluigi Donnarumma from the spot ended any realistic comeback hopes – not that it was evident in City’s attitude. They kept pushing and pulled one goal back before half-time through Erling Haaland.
City remained ambitious, switching to a 5-1-3 formation, and Jeremy Doku was close to scoring a second, seeing his effort ruled out for offside. Madrid responded by bringing on Kylian Mbappe but still City chased, Rayan Ait-Nouri having another disallowed.
But Vinicius had the final say, getting his second goal in stoppage-time after having a goal ruled out by VAR just before. The City crowd taunted him, having been famously beaten to the Ballon d’Or award by Rodri in 2024, but the night belonged to him and Madrid.
In context, it was a spirited effort by City, their hopes thwarted by that first-leg reverse and Silva’s red. It will be a frustration because it is a feeling that they are becoming accustomed to. This is the third year in a row in which Madrid have eliminated them.
For Guardiola, questions will come. It is the second consecutive season in which his team have failed to reach the quarter-final stage of the Champions League. The great coach had departed before the last eight just once in his previous 15 campaigns.
While the gap between the teams was not as big as the score suggested by the end, the big performances, the big moments, belonged to Real Madrid, as they so often do. Alvaro Arbeloa’s side progress. Guardiola and co are left to rue the details once more.
Sunday 22nd March 4:15pm
Kick off 4:30pm
Vini’s revenge on Man City
Last season, after Vinicius had missed out on the Ballon d’Or to City’s own Rodri, the home supporters at the Etihad Stadium unveiled a banner telling the Brazilian forward to ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’ in a play on the song by Manchester band Oasis.
The Real Madrid player has not forgotten, responding with a crying gesture after scoring in this latest elimination of the Premier League club.
“The last time I came to Man City, they were making fun of me and saying I was crying because of the Ballon d’Or,” Vinicius explained when talking to Amazon Prime afterwards. “It was a way of proving myself to the Man City fans.”
‘We will be back,’ insists Guardiola
“The future will be bright, next year we will be back,” said Pep Guardiola when speaking in the press conference.
Guardiola would not criticise Silva for his handball offence. “It’s not a mistake, it’s a red card, the first of his career. It is not a decision that is avoidable. I will never blame my players for that, even less Bernardo.” But there was some frustration.
“Always sport is challenge, always there is the feeling that we could not play a proper game to see what happened.” He added: “The way we start and the way we played, we would love to play 11 against 11. This team, they punish you when you make a mistake.”
His own team is still growing. “[Abdukodir] Khusanov, first time playing Champions League. [Rayan] Cherki, first time playing Champions League. Antoine Semenyo, first time playing Champions League. They need time,” Guardiola argued.
“The first season [of his time at Man City when they were knocked out by Monaco in 2017] was not always perfect, first stage out.
“We are not a complete team, that is the reality. I have seen a Man City team where we had all the aspects that define a team and still we are not [there].” Later, he added: “We are an extraordinary team. But we are still not a complete team.”
Asked to confirm whether he would see out the final year of his contract to oversee the development of this young squad, Guardiola declined to do so. “When I am saying we it is because I am a part of that,” he said, explaining that he will always see City that way regardless of whether he is the coach.
He went on to joke when quizzed again on his future: “Everybody wants to fire me, still I am here, one year contract.” But another opportunity to win this trophy has gone.
‘Courtois maybe best in history’
Real Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa speaking to Amazon Prime confirmed that the injury to Thibaut Courtois was not serious and when asked about his goalkeeper said that he was “maybe the best in history” after denying City time and again in the first half.
On Madrid’s victory that sets up a likely quarter-final clash with Bayern Munich, Arbeloa added: “We have beaten Man City at home, everyone knows how difficult that is. It is not easy to beat Man City.
“We knew they were wanting to press us, maybe we needed to have the ball a little more but after the penalty, everything changes. It was easier. Bayern Munich will be very difficult.”
Story of the match in stats…
When are the knockout stages?
Quarter-finals: April 7-8 and 14-15 Semi-finals: April 28-29 and May 5-6 Final: May 30 (Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary)
