Real Madrid 3-1 Manchester City (May 4, 2022) - The Stitch

We will always love this generation, the one that is leaving and the one that is entering. This is what the busiana said to the players on the way to the stadium. And not for winning the League, which is obligatory, the civil service, but for the effort against everything and everyone. For the beauty of the end of the stage by Modric and Benzema, the irruption of Vini or Camavinga.

The typho was Karim, and Benzema bit his lip while the Champions League anthem played. The whistle blew and the frenchman came out to bite now the ball, Karim alone against the world. There was beauty in it.

Madrid played well in the beginning. Vinicius caused a dangerous first foul from the start, Carvajal then put a perfect banana to Benzema's head, few of those have failed this season. But today he failed.

And there was one of those qualifying moments there, for those who say that the referees do not condition. City were looking for the Pep-style referee, round arbitration, and Modric - who knows that tactic well - went there to break the provision. Laporte freaked out and dropped his arm impacting Modric's face. Result: yellow for both.

What was clear is that the game was very different from the first leg. It even seemed that City wasted time from the start, but that would be a false feeling for me because Pep trains them. Guardiola and Lillo would never allow such an attack on the noble art of handling the ball. Or, thinking about it, given that in the previous round they came from a draw fighting -fighting- with Cholo's Atleti, and that is cum laude of the matter.

The first piece of good news came in the 20th minute: a save from Courtois. The belgian entered the tie. Manchester City (without a surname would be United) had been growing. Shortly after in minute 22, Gabriel Jesús grazed the squad. We didn't suffer like other days (they don't have a player like Mbappe) but the goal could fall.

They grew up and I was missing Camavinga (colossal later, by the way). Kroos was a bit of a pushover and I wanted him to do something that would make me swallow the infidelity of imagining that we would be playing better with Eduardo. He almost did it, by the way, just starting the second half in a play that should have been a goal, hopefully that balanced diet of eating my words and tweets.

From there to the end of the first half a tremendously serious game was seen. Perhaps not the most beautiful to watch for the fan, one of those that nothing is happening in theory, but full of movements and tactics for the enjoyment of Sopranos or Abeles who like Echoes of the Ball. It was a match of the highest category

This is reflected in a fact: in minute 39 the Bernabéu began a tribute to Modric for a magnificent defensive action. And that's where Madrid grew. Benzema had a one-on-one in the 42nd minute (it was offside) but he kicked him out. We kept improving the calibration.

They were minutes of an anarchic but brilliant Madrid, which could have deserved the goal before the break https://twitter.com/ChampionsLeague/status/1521965443950518286

Photo of Vinicius because he had his goal, just started the second half, damn it. He failed it in his old-fashioned way, damn it. Kroos (my balanced diet) sets a trap, Pep's men fall into it, a magnificent combination, Carvajal's center (he is at his best level) and at pleasure, although somewhat forced, Junior throws it out.

At least that moment served as a bugle call to activate the Bernabéu. Real was doing well, but the necessary magic was missing, in the elite elite, to take advantage of the slightest mistake.

That magic light that makes the play end in a goal. Vini didn't have it today, Karim didn't have it, not even Modric, who failed in minute 54. A check, to be more specific. At that time I wrote down the following: Rodrygo?

They could score, of course, but I remembered PSG as more dangerous. Perhaps the french team do not have a guy like Bernardo Silva, who left traces in the temple of being a magnificent footballer.

The game progressed and Walker was falling apart. Vini had been breaking down his precarious physical state. He fell to the ground once, it wouldn't be the only one.

We prayed to San Pintus. Vini tried again and again but Orsato was not in the mood to let the actions -that the City winger did to the limit with our Vini- fall to our side.

Minute 70, we risked. And it went wrong, at the beginning. Mahrez on the counter vaccinated us in a magnificent action. But Rodrygo was in the field. Let me quote a tweet here https://twitter.com/RoalesLaSNT/status/1521955166483795971

The question was that the minutes passed and many us saw it complicated. Not the Bernabéu, which reacted commendably to the 0-1, believing. That is important. And Carlo, who I already wrote that he freed himself after the comeback in Seville, gave it his all: in 75 he put what we had left by taking away the CMK. Very big words: Camavinga as a midfielder against the world. Valverde and Asensio ahead. The Brasucas. Benze.

The madness.

Damn, the bet worked! The thing could end 3-1 or 0-5 that the Bernabéu, I'm sure, would have applauded this impressive squad. Keep in mind that the referee was not exactly pro-local team... Cancelo made a huge hand that went down in history, in the history of things that will never be remembered.

That bloody clock was going full speed against us. And on top of that, in 86, Grealish was able to score 0-2 twice. Very clear. San Thibaut appeared the necessary millimeters to leave us a possibility

And that possibility was called Rodrygo Goes. https://twitter.com/ChampionsLeague/status/1521963563153305600

Rodriyo has something. But that something says "Champions". Rodrygo is pure Real Madrid: midichlorians of Juanito, Don Santiago, Butragueño complete him. I ask here for his renewal until he is old enough to train our youngest team.

I already stopped pointing things in that moment, we all have our little hearts. The first goal by Rodrygo was scored by the Bernabéu and the second I seem to remember was Santillana reincarnated. What difference does it make. The only thing missing, if God exists, and in football exists, was that the third goal was a Karim goal.

There was a penalty. Karim put it in.

Fernandinho missed a huge one in stoppage time at 107, which Orsato now didn't let lose a second. And Vallejo came out, what do I know, time didn't pass, it didn't pass.

Guardiola was looking for his hair and couldn't find it. A Bola titled then that the King of Europe is never dead. < p style="text-align: justify;">Orsato didn't whistle in minute 117. Not in 118. Not in 119. In the end he whistled, after a corner in minute 120, but they don't have Ramos or even half a story that resembles us.