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Manchester City and Real Madrid served up a thrilling Champions League semi-final first leg at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night, with the two sides playing out a 4-3 draw.
Kevin De Bruyne was the star of the show for City, scoring twice and setting up another goal, while Karim Benzema also scored twice for Madrid.
Aymeric Laporte had a difficult night for City, making a number of errors that led to Madrid goals.
Here are the player ratings for both teams:
Manchester City
Ederson: 6. Made a couple of good saves but was also at fault for Madrid’s second goal.
Walker: 7. Solid defensively and got forward well on a number of occasions.
Laporte: 4. Made a number of errors that led to Madrid goals.
Stones: 7. Solid at the back and made a number of important clearances.
Cancelo: 7. Got forward well and provided an assist for De Bruyne’s second goal.
Rodri: 7. Controlled the midfield well and made a number of interceptions.
De Bruyne: 9. Man of the match. Scored two goals and set up another. His passing and vision were outstanding.
Bernardo Silva: 7. Worked hard and created a number of chances.
Mahrez: 6. Hit the post with a good chance and was generally lively.
Foden: 6. Not as involved as he would have liked but still worked hard.
Substitutes
Gundogan: 6. Came on and made a number of important contributions.
Jesus: 6. Didn’t have much of an impact.
Sterling: 5. Came on late and didn’t have much time to make an impact.
Real Madrid
Courtois: 6. Made a couple of good saves but was also at fault for City’s first goal.
Carvajal: 6. Solid defensively but didn’t offer much going forward.
Militao: 7. Made a number of important clearances and was solid at the back.
Nacho: 5. Subbed on at half-time but couldn’t calm a chaotic back line.
Mendy: 6. Got forward well on a number of occasions but was also caught out of position a few times.
Kroos: 6. Controlled the midfield well in the first half but faded after the break.
Modric: 7. Involved in everything Madrid did well in the first half. Subbed off at half-time.
Valverde: 6. Worked hard and made a number of important interceptions.
Vinicius Junior: 7. Caused City problems with his pace and trickery.
Benzema: 8. Scored two goals and was a constant threat in the Madrid attack.
Substitutes
Ceballos: n/a. Replaced Modric for the final 10 minutes and was lively.
Rodrygo: 6. Came on and made a number of important contributions.
Asensio: 5. Came on late and didn’t have much time to make an impact.
Overall
It was a thrilling match that saw both teams create a number of chances. City will be disappointed not to have won the game after dominating for long periods, but they will still be confident of progressing to the final. Madrid will be happy with the draw, but they will need to improve their defending if they want to reach the final.
The match was also notable for the number of injuries that were sustained. City’s Ruben Dias and Joao Cancelo both limped off with injuries, while Madrid’s Ferland Mendy was also forced off.
The second leg of the semi-final will take place at the Santiago Bernabeu on May 4.
What did you think of the match?
