Real Madrid vs. Manchester City - Football Match Report - May 9, 2023 - ESPN

Superb strikes from Vinicius Junior and Kevin De Bruyne in either half saw Real Madrid and Manchester City draw 1-1 in a high-quality first leg of their Champions League semifinal at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.

In a rematch of last season's dramatic last-four contest, holders Madrid withstood City's dominance in the first half before Vinicius capped a lightning break with an unstoppable long-range effort in the 36th minute.

— Kirkland: Haaland disappoints, Vinicius again unstoppable in draw — Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

But the visitors responded with a sensational shot of their own to draw level midway through the second half. Just as Madrid were threatening to extend their lead, De Bruyne beat Thibaut Courtois from outside the box to bring the tie level.

That's how the match finished to leave the two sides to do it all again in next Wednesday's second leg for the right to move to the final against either AC Milan or Inter Milan.

Given how last year's semifinal went, when Madrid went into the 90th minute of the second leg at the Bernabeu trailing by two goals and somehow came back to win in extra time, Pep Guardiola's side will likely be the happier to walk away from the Spanish capital with the score tied heading to Manchester.

That will be especially true after Madrid took control of the game in the second half and threatened to turn the tie firmly in their favour. But Madrid, the record 14-time winners of the competition, have shown time and again in recent years that they can never be written off. And they are unlikely to worry about the task that awaits them at the Etihad Stadium in eight days, despite failing to win at City's home in four previous visits.

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