Man City must learn from moment that cost them a Champions League final place

'Stick to the plan'; that will have been the message that Pep Guardiola gave his Manchester City players in the days leading up to the biggest game of their season. He likely did the same during the match itself and, again, at half-time.

For the most part, the players did as asked. And then, in the dying moments of the second leg of the Champions League semi-final with City holding all the cards, they didn't.

City were not at their best all evening, but for 89 minutes it looked like that didn't matter. In the first half, they kept the ball well, perhaps not to their usual high standard but enough to prevent Real Madrid from having any real sniff at goal.

READ MORE: Pep Guardiola is entirely blameless in Man City's latest Champions League failure

In the second half, they struggled, but in a reversal of what has been one of the key themes of this season, they scored anyway with what was really only a half-chance. Riyad Mahrez ruthlessly smashed the ball beyond Thibaut Courtois and City were 17 minutes from the final and three goals away from elimination.

As the seconds slipped away, the defensive lapses that cost City three goals in the first leg started to creep in. Then, in the final minute of normal time, Real Madrid made them pay.

Joao Cancelo allowed Karim Benzema to pull off him at the back post, the Frenchman crossed and Rodrygo beat Ederson to the ball. At this level those kinds of mistakes should not happen, but sometimes they do. Still, City were still ahead, and all season long they have been experts at closing out games by starving their opponents of possession.

Stick to the plan, right? They didn't.

Aymeric Laporte's loose 'marking' and Ruben Dias' rash challenge cost City goals number two and three,