MY ACCOUNT
Manchester City sealed their place in the Champions League semi-finals after an ill-tempered 0-0 draw with Atletico Madrid in their second-leg clash on Wednesday.
Kevin De Bruyne’s solitary goal in the first leg last week gave Pep Guardiola’s side a slender lead to take to the Wanda Metropolitano.
Diego Simeone’s men put them under intense pressure in the second half, but City held firm before tempers flared late on and Felipe saw red.
That left the visitors to see out a 1-0 aggregate victory to reach back-to-back Champions League semi-finals for the first time in their history.
The Premier League leaders will now face Real Madrid in the last four after Carlo Ancelotti’s charges overcame Chelsea on Tuesday.
The first clear sight of goal for either side came on the half-hour mark when Ilkay Gundogan struck the base of Jan Oblak’s right-hand post from eight yards after being teed up by Phil Foden.
City, coming into the game on the back of a thrilling 2-2 draw with title rivals Liverpool, looked the more likely to score throughout the first half, yet they went in at the break having failed to hit the target with any of their eight shots.
The hosts were much improved at the start of the second period and Antoine Griezmann flashed a dipping effort past the post from the edge of the penalty area shortly before the hour.
There was a melee after Felipe’s late challenge on Foden in the closing stages, with both sets of players clashing near the corner flag.
The end result was a second yellow card for the Atleti defender as the home side’s Champions League campaign ended on a sour note, with Simeone himself booked in stoppage time after stepping onto the pitch.
What does it mean? City made to work for semi-final spot
City dominated the first half, taking eight shots to Atleti’s one, but Guardiola’s men wilted in the second period and registered just two shots on goal.
The LaLiga side can perhaps consider themselves unlucky not to force extra time after a spirited second-half display, yet the reality is they have now failed to win any of their past eight home games in the Champions League.
Rodri epitomises City display
Rodri was solid as a rock at the heart of City’s midfield, winning more tackles than any player on the pitch (four), and contesting 16 duels – again, more than any player on either side.
Savic lucky to escape red
Stefan Savic can consider himself fortunate to have remained on the pitch for the full 90 minutes. The former City man received just a booking for his role in the ugly scenes late on, with Simeone forced onto the field soon after in an apparent attempt to calm the defender down.
Key Opta Facts
– Manchester City have reached the Champions League semi-finals for a third time, also doing so in 2015-16 and 2020-21.
– Atletico Madrid have been eliminated at the quarter-final stage in four of their 12 Champions League seasons, also doing so in 1996-97, 2014-15 and 2019-20.
– Pep Guardiola has reached his ninth Champions League semi-final, the most of any manager in the history of the competition (four with Barcelona, three with Bayern Munich, two with City).
– This was City’s 100th Champions League match and although they failed to win or score, they are outright second for most wins (55) and goals (201) in their first 100 games in the competition, behind only Real Madrid for both (won 57, scored 202).
What’s next?
City have a mouthwatering FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool on Saturday, while Atleti host Espanyol in LaLiga a day later.
