Ronaldo Seals The Deal against City with 3-2

Group D of the UEFA Champions League can easily be dubbed the “Group of Death” with its superstar teams (Real Madrid, Manchester City, Ajax, and Borussia Dortmund) stacked against each other. Real Madrid’s game over Manchester City proved just that, with the last 30 minutes of the match feeling like a sudden death that haunted fans of both clubs.

The match began at a steadfast pace, with Real Madrid applying pressure to City’s defense without mercy. The first half could easily be summed up by “Joe Hart vs. Real Madrid”, and for that entire half, the England goalkeeper denied every powerful shot from the likes of Marcelo, Ronaldo, Higuain and Di Maria. Roberto Mancini’s men took a huge blow when Samir Nasri came off with what seemed like a hamstring strain in the 35th minute. Looking at the broader picture, a serious injury for Nasri could mean a jumbled City midfield that would not only suffer against Arsenal on Sunday, but for the rest of their Champions League run. 

The beginning of the second half of the match followed suit with the first half ; Real Madrid kept the pressure, the possession, and City was forced to sit back and attempt to defend with few chances to capitalize on counterattacks. Both Mancini and Mourinho had a bench of players who could be potential game changers. Within ten minutes of each other, Dzeko, Ozil, Benzema, Modric and Zabaleta stepped on the pitch to assist their teams in hopes of breaking through the gridlock of nil-nil with only 30 minutes left of the match.

In 30 minutes, the tension and intensity of the match translated into goals, with a whopping 5 goals in 30 minutes. The game flashed before our eyes, and before we knew it, the scoreboard was counting goals before we could react! The first goal in the 69th minute sent a shockwave to fans everywhere, as Edin Dzeko took Manchester City from being the team struggling to defend, to the team who cleared the lead. City wasn’t in the clear for long, as Marcelo’s lethal shot curved into the net in the 76th minute. Counterattack followed counterattack until Kolarov finally saw his break with goal in the 85th minute, supplied by a perfectly timed ball from Yaya Toure. The excitement of regaining the lead created holes in the defense, and only 2 minutes later, the substitute Karim Benzema scored a world class finish for the Blancos to equalize once again. Despite Manchester City’s efforts, Cristiano Ronaldo sealed the deal in the 90th minute with a curling goal that even the Joe Hart couldn’t save.

The match gave the Blancos a very valuable 3 points, while Mancini’s men will face a somber flight back to Manchester, leaving with 0 points. Contrary to their performance in La Liga, Real Madrid has started the Champions League with a bang. The Blancos’ win will definitely bolster confidence for the Galacticos and their fans. From tennis star Rafael Nadal in the stands of the Bernabeu, to manager Jose Mourinho who easily ruined his Italian wool blend suit in a joyous knee slide, the fans were ecstatic to claim a victory. Although their comeback showed their never-ending fight for a win, it also posed questions about their ability to finish. The score could have easily been 6-2. One thing is for sure, Real Madrid’s scoreline spoke for itself, and their skill cannot be doubted just yet, either in La Liga or the Champions League. 

Photo Credits : Alex Livesey, Javier Soriano, Pierre Philippe-Marcou, Getty Images

written by Madena Sharef

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