[imagesource: AP Photo / Bernat Armangue]
There were about 85 minutes on the clock and Manchester City were coasting to their second consecutive Champions League final when I fell asleep on the couch.
The next time I opened my eyes, Karim Benzema had just slotted a penalty, Real Madrid led 6-5 on aggregate, and Pep Guardiola looked like a broken man.
Or, as someone on The Guardian put it at the end of 90 minutes, “When the camera cut to Guardiola, he had the expression of a man who had not only been told that his cat was dead, but that his cat had never existed at all.”
Real Madrid substitute Rodrygo scored twice in added time of the regular 90 minutes, and then Benzema slotted his penalty in extra time, to secure a final spot against the quadruple-chasing Liverpool.
Time and time again, the Spanish league champions have found a way to fight back from the dead.
Real Madrid in the UCL KO stage:
👉 Down 2-0 to PSG with 30 minutes left
👉 Down 4-3 to Chelsea with 10 minutes left
👉 Down 5-3 to Man City in stoppage timeNEVER QUIT MENTALITY 🧠 pic.twitter.com/KlxLGBLQkp
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 4, 2022
The first thing I did when I woke up this morning was check out the highlights.
In case you also bombed out in front of the telly, or turned off with the end in sight, here’s what you missed:
To quote Sir Alex Ferguson after a rather famous last-gasp win against Bayern Munich, “Football, bloody hell”.
Peter Drury usually does a pretty good job of summing things up:
This piece of commentary from Peter Drury, if there’s an unbiased English commentator, it’s him. Respect 👏
pic.twitter.com/vKxa9REg8l— Ehsan (@LosBlancoEhsan) May 4, 2022
Speaking after the match, Guardiola said the loss was tough to take. This via Sky Sports:
“I have had defeats in the Champions League, I had tough defeats at Barcelona when we could not reach the final.
“But it is tough for us, I cannot deny that. We were so close to the Champions League final… The players gave everything. We were so close.”
Manchester City now have to pick themselves up for Sunday’s English Premier League clash against Newcastle United.
Liverpool, and especially Mo Salah, can look forward to a shot at revenge in the Champion League final after that painful defeat back in 2018.
So, Liverpool fans, how are you feeling about that potential quadruple?
[source:skysports]
