Real Madrid nerves lift Man City closer to their Champions League goal

Something changed last year in the Champions League.

Where Real Madrid had greeted Manchester City in the spring of 2023 as another prey to devour again, their humbling at the Etihad left them hurt and anxious ahead of their quarter-final reunion. The club that has dominated European football for so much of the last decade were nervous when Pep Guardiola's side sought to slay them again.

They were right to be nervous, for the Blues more than played their part in another pulsating tie that cemented the position of the two sides as the best in Europe by some distance. A thrilling 3-3 draw in Madrid that ebbed and flowed in the first leg was followed by a frenetic 1-1 game where City threw kitchen sink and all after conceding early but could only manage a late equaliser before losing on penalties.

ALSO READ: Man City transfer can seal club record after Joao Cancelo exit

ALSO READ: Why Man City have messaged season ticket holders who missed Ipswich

It would be arrogant to suggest that Guardiola's side would have gone on to back-to-back European crowns had they been the ones to emerge victorious from the shootout, but they would certainly have had no fear from two teams they had bested the previous year in Bayern and Dortmund. Once again, the competition followed Guardiola's mantra that if you have to win the competition you have to beat Real.

City's rise in the European standings is an enormous achievement, and they sit top of the UEFA rankings yet again heading into the new campaign. Yet that table is no trophy like the one that Real Madrid continue to get their hands on and the Blues will feel they need to get the better of them this season if their plan is to make the progress they want it to.

Confirmed in Abu Dhabi