Manchester City faithful expect, but serial winners Real Madrid stand in way via IrishTimesSport
As the chase leads them back to Real Madrid and a first-leg tie at the Bernabéu on Tuesday night, it is impossible to ignore the notion that to impose their vision of a glorious future, they must do more than beat the team in front of them; the one with 14 European Cups to their name. They must conquer the demons of the past which, more than any other opponent, are symbolised by Madrid.
City’s first visit to the Bernabéu had come during the ill-starred, victory-free group stage campaign of 2012-13 under Roberto Mancini. Two-one up with three minutes to play, they conceded to Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo to trigger a 3-2 defeat and that on-pitch knee slide from Madrid manager José Mourinho, in his grey suit trousers.It is fair to say that it was a portent of things to come, although not for City’s third trip in the last-16 first leg in 2019-20.
The Guardiola-era disasters have been less slapstick but similarly painful, trackable by the identity of the club’s Champions League conquerors, starting with Monaco and running through Liverpool, Tottenham, Lyon and Chelsea. Nothing was as brutal and bewildering as the closing stages at the Bernabéu, City having missed chances to finish it when Rodrygo’s two-goal salvo forced extra time.
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