Real Madrid’s fightback sends Manchester City crashing out of Champions League

Real Madrid produced an astonishing late fightback to snatch a place in the Champions League final at the expense of Manchester City on Wednesday.

Substitute Rodrygo scored twice in the closing minutes of a tense semi-final second leg at the Bernabeu Stadium before Karim Benzema settled a tie that will live long in the memory with an extra-time penalty to make it 6-5 on aggregate.

Riyad Mahrez had put City on course for a final date with rivals Liverpool in Paris later this month when he broke the deadlock in the 73rd minute, putting the English side 5-3 ahead on aggregate.

Yet, just as they had failed to press home their advantage in last week’s classic first encounter at the Etihad Stadium, Pep Guardiola’s side again failed to keep tight at the back, losing 3-1 on the night.

Real, after staging rousing comebacks against Paris St Germain and Chelsea in the previous two rounds, battled back to level the tie with their first two on-target efforts.

With City reeling, they were caught out again as Ruben Dias was adjudged to have felled Benzema and the prolific Frenchman finished from the spot.

City managed to regroup but Thibaut Courtois produced a fine save to deny Phil Foden and Fernandinho put the rebound agonisingly wide.

The result was another shattering Champions League blow for Guardiola and prolongs City’s long wait for European glory.

They were not at their best in a ferocious Bernabeu atmosphere but looked to have done enough to see through the job.

They were boosted by the return of fit-again Kyle Walker and the right-back did a fine job in restricting the dangerous Vinicius Junior.

Yet Real needed to force the pace and they went close after just four minutes when Benzema headed over from a Dani Carvajal cross.

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