The “si se puede” (“yes we can”) chants gradually faded at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday as the minutes passed and Real Madrid looked beaten in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final against Manchester City.
As the end of regulation time approached, many in the stands — and on the field — were close to giving up as the visitors defended their 1-0 lead.
It seemed that there would be no magical night at the Bernabeu for the 13-time European champions this time.
Photo: AFP
However, Madrid took their Champions League comebacks to another level, rallying late with two goals in two minutes by substitute Rodrygo to force extra-time and defeat Manchester City 3-1 to reach the final — a showdown with Liverpool.
Karim Benzema, the hero of Madrid’s previous comebacks this season, scored from a penalty in extra-time for the decisive goal that allowed Madrid to advance 6-5 on aggregate after a 4-3 first leg semi-final loss in which they escaped losing by a bigger margin.
“I didn’t think we could do it again because we were struggling,” Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said. “We had already eliminated some top teams that spent a lot of money to try to win a Champions, but today it was more impressive, happening in the final minutes.”
Photo: AFP
Madrid had already pulled off thrilling comebacks at the Bernabeu against Paris Saint-Germain in the round-of-16 and Chelsea in the quarter-finals.
“I cannot say we are used to living this kind of life, but what happened tonight happened against Chelsea and also against Paris,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “If you have to say why, it is the history of this club that helps us to keep going when it seems that we are gone.”
By doing it again against City, Madrid booked a spot in the May 28 final in Paris against Liverpool, who advanced after defeating Villarreal on Tuesday.
Photo: AFP
Madrid defeated Liverpool in the 2018 final, when the Spanish powerhouse clinched their record-extending 13th title.
“We have a score to settle,” Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah wrote on Twitter after Madrid’s win.
The result ended City’s latest quest for their first Champions League trophy. Pep Guardiola’s team lost in the final last year against Chelsea.
Photo: Reuters
“We were close, but at the end we could not reach” the final, Guardiola said.
Guardiola said that his side would need a couple of days to get over their collapse, but they would rise again.
“We need time now, one or two days, but we’ll rise, we come up, we have to do it with our people,” he said. “That feeling that happens in football sometimes, that has happened in history, when you are leading, but you get to the end and you are being dominated — that didn’t happen to us.”
Asked if this was his toughest European defeat, Guardiola said: “I’ve had defeats that were so tough, Barcelona against Chelsea when both games were exceptional and we could not reach the final, and yes it’s tough for us, we cannot deny it.”
Madrid looked defeated near the end of regulation time before Rodrygo scored his goals two minutes apart.
Riyad Mahrez had put City ahead in the 73rd minute, but the Brazilian forward equalized in the 90th minute and got the go-ahead goal with a header a minute into stoppage-time.
A few minutes before Rodrygo’s first goal, Ferland Mendy had saved Madrid from conceding a second goal that could have sealed City’s qualification by clearing the ball in front off the goal-line while tumbling backward to keep an attempt by Jack Grealish from going in.
Courtois moments later saved a Grealish shot with the bottom of his cleat.
Real Madrid carried all the momentum into extra-time and Benzema gave the hosts the 3-1 lead by converting a 95th-minute penalty after he was fouled inside the area.
It was the 15th Champions League goal this season for Benzema, the competition’s leading scorer. It was his 10th goal in the knockout stage alone, tying Cristiano Ronaldo’s record in a single season.
Additional reporitng by Reuters
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