Man City Stars Shine Bright as Heroic Comeback Crushes Real Madrid Dreams

A pair of strikes within seven minutes secured Manchester City a dramatic 2–1 Champions League victory against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu,

Pep Guardiola's team paid the price for a sluggish opening as Rodrygo broke the deadlock, but the Citizens showed composure in their response with Nico O'Reilly netting his first Champions League strike to level the score.

Erling Haaland maintained his lethal Champions League record by converting a spot-kick moments before the interval—a strike that proved decisive—as City successfully weathered Real Madrid's second-half fightback attempts.

The Citizens now sit comfortably within the Champions League's top eight positions, occupying fourth place with 13 points from six matches, and in this marquee European clash, secured payback after Los Blancos knocked them out of the tournament last season.

Man City Player Ratings vs. Real Madrid (4-1-4-1)

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma—5.9: Faced minimal pressure throughout but might have done better with Rodrygo's opener. Appeared unsettled in possession and whenever required to leave his line.

RB: Matheus Nunes—7.8: Following an uncertain beginning, he found his rhythm and dominated City's right side, finishing with seven ball recoveries.

CB: Rúben Dias—7.1: The defensive captain found it difficult to marshal the backline early on but improved significantly in protecting the advantage with several crucial blocks.

CB: Joško Gvardol—7.9: Outstanding display from the Croatian defender. Consistently well-positioned to thwart attacks and excelled when Madrid pressed for a leveler in the closing stages, demonstrating excellent composure under pressure.

LB: Nico O'Reilly—8.3: Initially allowed Rodrygo too much room for Madrid's opener. Quickly redeemed himself by being perfectly placed to net the equalizer in what became the highlight of an impressive showing.

DM: Nico González—7.7: Operated largely in isolation with limited defensive cover from fellow midfielders, enabling Madrid to bypass him fairly easily during their attacking phases. Nevertheless, he provided crucial balance and made several important tackles to disrupt opposition moves.

RW: Bernardo Silva—6.6: While not particularly influential, the Portuguese provided a consistent outlet across the pitch when City had possession. However, his turnover led directly to Madrid's goal.

CM: Rayan Cherki—7.5: Appeared threatening by consistently finding space between defensive lines to unsettle the opposition. Only Courtois prevented Cherki from getting on the scoresheet.

CM: Phil Foden—6.5: A disappointing evening considering his recent excellent form. Struggled to influence City's most dangerous moments.

LW: Jérémy Doku—7.5: Quiet in the opening period but dominated proceedings after halftime, tormenting Madrid's defense with skillful runs that created City's best second-half opportunities.

ST: Erling Haaland—8.0: Matched his goal tally with his pass completion in the first period, demonstrating once more that minimal involvement doesn't diminish his decisive impact.

Subs not used: James Trafford (GK), Marcus Bettinelli (GK), Rayan Aït-Nouri, Abdukodir Khusanov, Rico Lewis, Oscar Bobb.

Real Madrid (4-4-2)

Starting XI: Thibaut Courtois; Federico Valverde, Raul Asencio, Antonio Rüdiger, Álvaro Carreras; Rodrygo, Dani Ceballos, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Jude Bellingham; Gonzalo García, Vinicius Junior.

Subs used:Arda Güler, Brahim Díaz, Endrick.

Player of the Match: Nico O'Reilly

Real Madrid 1–2 Man City—How It Unfolded at the Bernabeu

Guardiola deployed a strong lineup hoping to prevent a second 2025 loss at the Bernabéu while targeting City's fourth straight victory.

However, the strategy almost backfired within two minutes as Matheus Nunes brought down Vinicius Junior, prompting referee Clément Turpin to initially award a penalty. The visitors escaped when VAR ruled Nunes' reckless challenge occurred just outside the box, sparing them from conceding from the spot.

Madrid maintained their superiority though, with City making sloppy errors and offering too much defensive space. The hosts capitalized to take the lead as Jude Bellingham located an unmarked Rodrygo, who entered the box and slotted home into the bottom corner for his first strike in 32 appearances.

The opener appeared to spark City into life and they found parity seven minutes afterward. Thibaut Courtois failed to secure Joško Gvardiol's header from a set piece, allowing Nico O'Reilly to capitalize on the loose ball and restore balance.

City completed their turnaround moments later when Antonio Rüdiger clumsily brought down Erling Haaland in the area, presenting the visitors with a penalty opportunity. The Norwegian striker stepped forward and coolly deceived Courtois to put City ahead before the interval.

Both teams created clear opportunities shortly after the restart, but Jude Bellingham squandered an attempted lob from close range while Courtois produced a spectacular stop to thwart Rayan Cherki at the opposite end.

Guardiola's men couldn't increase their slender lead and the home side began forcing them deeper as time progressed. Endrick came close to equalizing for Madrid, but his header clipped the crossbar.

Despite the hosts' continued pressure in the closing stages, City managed to preserve their advantage until the final whistle, securing an outstanding away result against the 15-time European champions.

Real Madrid vs. Man City Half-Time Stats

Real Madrid vs. Man City Full Time Stats