Manchester City won’t have a chance to defend its UEFA Champions League title. The reigning UCL champs have been eliminated in the quarterfinals of this season’s tournament by La Liga giants Real Madrid after a penalty shootout on Wednesday night.
Real is now through to the semi-finals, where it is set to face Bayern Munich. The German club punched its own ticket to the semis on Wednesday as well with a 1-0 win over Arsenal. The second semi-final clash is also set and will see Paris Saint Germain face Borussia Dortmund.
After a 3-3 draw at Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg, Manchester City was considered the favorite to make it through. They were playing at home and have been in terrific form lately. However, it was Real who struck first, with Rodrygo giving the Spanish club a lead in the 12th minute.
From that point on, Real was content to hold onto its advantage while City launched one attack after another. However, it wasn’t until the 76th minute that the Premier League side managed to get a breakthrough, with midfielder Kevin DeBruyne finding the net.
The regular 90 minutes ended with a tie, with the game moving to extra time. For the next 30 minutes, both teams were cautious not to make a mistake, which resulted in a penalty shootout. Real Madrid’s Luka Modric missed his penalty in the first series, but City’s Bernardo Silva returned the favor in the second round. Mateo Kovacic missed the third penalty for City while the rest of Real’s penalty-takers all scored, resulting in a 4-3 win for Los Blancos.
