'Typical Man City' returns vs Real Madrid on another night of Champions League heartache

Typical City never truly died. It just turned itself into a solely European phenomenon. The Blues’ capacity for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory was never more acute, never more painful, than in their extra time capitulation to Real Madrid.

After playing the Spanish aristocrats off the park last week, but failing to drive home their advantage, they came up with what looked like the perfect Euro away performance by defending doggedly against a predictably furious Real assault and then breaking away to apparently seal victory with a Riyad Mahrez stunner.

But oh no. The gods of football have still not done with tormenting City fans, and Rodrygo again resurrected Real from the dead, scoring twice as City’s stern defence collapsed in added time - ironically much of it due to Kyle Walker’s injury problems.

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And when Ruben Dias finally got a challenge slightly wrong, and took down Karim Benzema, the wily France striker picked himself up to book Real’s final place. City have lorded it over the Premier League but they seem to find new ways of exiting the Champions League.

Spectacular away goals rule exits to Monaco and Tottenham, that disastrous 30 minutes at Anfield, and then the no-shows against Lyon in the quarter-final and Chelsea in last year’s final - City seem to court mishap when they play in this competition.

The game was on a knife-edge right from the off, with Real Madrid channelling the energy and belief from their huge support to try to level things early. But the first duel was between the returning Kyle Walker and flying winger Vinicius Junior, who caused such damage in the first leg with the second goal that exposed Fernandinho’s shortcomings as a right back.

Guardiola