If the second leg between Real Madrid and Manchester City offered less chances and goals but as much tension and intensity as the first leg, it will finally have found a way to stay in the collective memories for a long time. . Decisive saves from Courtois, a brace from Rodrygo, hero off the bench, and a goal from the inevitable Benzema allowed the people of Madrid, who seemed stunned by Mahrez’s opener, to overturn the match in stoppage time. game and then in extra time. A scenario that inevitably causes a lot of ink to flow in the European media.
To Madrid
In the aftermath of this crazy evening, the Madrid media did not hide their enthusiasm. « This Madrid is from another world », title As in one. « Manchester City, Guardiola and all the luxuries that surround them have melted away in front of a ferocious, eternally resurrected Madrid, in defiance of Murphy’s Law: Here, toast very rarely falls on its buttery side, » the newspaper wrote.
For its part, Marca did not put any measure in its treatment of this semi-final return. The title of One? « May God come down and explain to us ». In the pages of the daily, the comeback is described as « the greatest night in the history of the Santiago Bernabeu. » And our colleagues to explain: « Without tainting the returns of the 80s in the UEFA Cup, without calling into question the great recent European evenings, what was seen last night finds no comparison in history. » The newspaper still underlines the role of a man who is little talked about, in the shadow of Rodrygo, Benzema or even Courtois: « Camavinga took control of the team as soon as he got into the game. »
In Catalonia
The Catalan media are necessarily more sober, but still beautiful players. On the side of Mundo Deportivo, we assure « that we should not try to explain this scenario because, honestly, there is no explanation. » And editor-in-chief Santi Nolla underlined Ancelotti’s coaching: « Camavinga and Rodrygo were the keys to the end of the match. »
For its part, the daily Sport is worried about the situation of Pep Guardiola after this new failure. Recalling that Yaya Toure’s agent predicted that Pep would never win the Champions League again because the African shamans wouldn’t let him. What if a curse hit the ex-Barça coach? In another article, Sport are keen to reassure Barca fans: ‘Here’s why Guardiola will never return to Barca’. And to put forward as the main argument the toxic relationship he has with the Madrid press.
In England
The Times evokes an « epic comeback » and « two minutes of madness », referring to Rodrygo’s double. Before predicting headaches for Pep Guardiola, who can no longer do it in the biggest European competition.
The Guardian speaks of a « deal between Real and the gods of football » and recalls what Kevin De Bruyne said before the double confrontation (« Winning a first Champions League would change the perception of the club »): « Wednesday evening only reinforced this discourse. »
The Daily Mirror goes into detail about the two minutes that changed everything. Recalling that they had been preceded by a double chance from Grealish. The Englishman couldn’t kill the suspense because of a save on his line from Mendy, then a parry with the tip of the foot from Courtois. « Never mind », we thought: « Real must score twice. And yet… » According to our British colleagues, there’s not much to blame Manchester City for: « They haven’t stopped to play, as this double chance proves, whereas other teams would have done so. »
Elsewhere in Europe
The title team « SurREAListe », ensuring that « This Real is eternal ». And to rejoice in the editorial by Vincent Duluc that the final will be played at the Stade de France, while awarding a … 3/10 to Kevin De Bruyne: “The Belgian completely missed his match. Unusual. »
Finally, the Gazzetta dello Sport pays tribute to the two teams: « the second leg offered fewer goals than the festival of the first leg but the Blancos and the Citizens gave life to 120 minutes of emotions, surprises and an intensity breathtaking. » And to point out that Manchester City will have « wasted too many opportunities in the two matches » to hope to challenge Liverpool in the final.
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