Manchester City 4-3 Real Madrid (April 26, 2022) - The Stitch

This is Real Madrid.

But there is more: this is the Real Madrid of Karim Benzema and Luka Modric. Raise your hand who 10 years ago could think that Karim would be our captain on the field, our brain but also our soul. The guy who's into the marrow and the guy who makes us believe. The TV focus on him and we know that we may be about to receive the arrival of the Atlantis earthquake, but we must prevail. And we prevail. Because Luka exists, because Karim exists.

A panenka! Benzema thrown a panenka, damn it!.

I laugh but in pain of "we are the fucking Real Madrid"

https://twitter.com/ChampionsLeague/status/1519056099470721026

From the beginning we came out badly, with the defensive lines very behind. And it couldn't be taken by surprise for anybody.... they are a great team and they are Pep's team. Being soft (Alaba) or overexcited (Militao) was a terrible combination. And in just ten minutes they swept us away. Two badly defended lateral centers brought the immediate 2-0. https://twitter.com/ChampionsLeague/status/1519035379143303170

We all have a friend who is like the one I am going to tell you now, let me explain. Culé, Pep's follower, he thinks that Guardiola invented football and now is a proud fan of Manchester City, as he was of Bayern. Because Pep invented football.

That's where I intervened, sarcastic, almost suicidal, because the 3-0 could have happened without anyone being surprised by it.

"Dear" -I told him- "that's why right now 2-1 is incoming"

https://twitter.com/realmadrid/status/1519044794831540224

The club uploaded a photo of Kroos in that moment, in my opinion once again he has been greatly surpassed in a physical match. This time Carlo did not take him away, who knows if remembering the German's past complaints, which I did not like at all.

Pep released several screams, because City failed excessively. Pep knew that they could not let us to be alive.

They scored the third again soon, after the break, and it could have arrived before, again Carvajal avoided it. Nacho had come out at halftime for Alaba, very discreet, he would surely play infiltrated and that explains Gabriel Jesús' goal.

Carlo scolded Vini for the third, where he was slow. And then Vini decided to go around the band in an anthological play for a 3-2 that will be well remembered. https://twitter.com/ChampionsLeague/status/1519050219324903430

Highly, highly. The panic was already Real.

They already knew they could knock us out, but we would get back in the ring. We were Rocky getting and getting punched, but holding on. There were crazy minutes, but the goals would come after that fight.

Madrid would end up with Camavinga and Ceballos in the green, great news that they entered the rotation on time, because we needed legs. Kroos, who appeared in the 4-2 photo, did not leave. A criminal entrance, very dangerous, in the front, was his fault.

Everyone stood still, even Courtois didn't see it coming... except Bernardo Silva following the play and nailing the 4-2.

We were dead again.

But no. And Pep knew it again. He changed into Cholo, he harangued the public, it was the moment of 5-2 -he thought, for sure- before these bastards make it 4-3

It happened.

Dumb, but indisputable hand of Laporte. Karim goes to throw it. He missed two recently, against Osasuna. Throwned well, indeed, kicked to his safety side. Karim knows it, I know it, you know it, Pep knows it, the whole fucking Etihad Stadium knows it

And the bastard goes (he has left half the planet breathless) and THROWS A PANENKA. https://twitter.com/realmadrid/status/1519054109533421570 It had to be put in capital letters. https://twitter.com/ChampionsLeague/status/1519056099470721026

4-3, which with the new rule is like the 1-0 that we brought from Paris; very different matches, however.

It will be a great match, the second leg. Because even if they score, what can happen, they will always know -and we will know- that there will be a tie to play. < p style="text-align: justify;">Until the end