It took some time to come down from Tuesday night. To really remember the details of one of those nights inside the home of European football that grandly hosts the Continental Classic of this era.
One of those that really requires a beer or three on a secondary street in Madrid to inform yourself. Mind you, Vinicius Junior had fallen off the front to keep Rodrygo away and who played that clever little ball for Phil Foden? John Stones of course, how could you forget? Actually, quite easily given the circumstances. He blinks and you miss it.
To remember the drama, the chaos. The Real Madrid bench howled in unison at the French fourth referee Pierre Gaillouste for the referee’s timing; the three screamers; the screeching whistles every time Manchester City had the temerity to retain the ball. How the closed roof retained all this energy and contributed to the inferno. Pep Guardiola either crouching or celebrating frantically outside his technical area.
Oh, and Kevin De Bruyne spent the hour before kick-off with his head on a toilet, a team selection drama that would normally make the headlines but ended up as a mere footnote. De Bruyne’s Champions League luck is unparalleled, so much so that one wonders if he has run over someone’s cat in Nyon. Rodri stood up and, suddenly, a foothold appeared out of nowhere; Aurelien Tchouameni’s impulsive and reckless yellow card for attacking Jack Grealish in a matter of seconds, ruling him out of next week’s second leg.
And the fight between Antonio Rudiger and Erling Haaland. Again, an afterthought when the column inches could have justifiably bulged from that alone.
There was drama and chaos when European champions Manchester City drew with Real Madrid
Carlo Ancelotti (left) and Pep Guardiola (right) were in good form on the touchline as they led their respective teams.
There were several confrontations between world stars that attracted attention at the Bernabéu
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The Bernabéu was the scene of a historic event in a competition that, when it comes to this stage, is unlike any other in the world of sport. The Ryder Cup is heading into a good year, but nothing else offers this kind of buzz.
Real Madrid 3-3 Manchester City was good. And Arsenal 2-2 Bayern Munich wasn’t that bad either, both occasions had thousands of people on their sofas changing TV channels, losing goals and arguing points while on the other side and refusing to pick just one game. Did Bukayo Saka throw his leg at Manuel Neuer? Why did Gabriel pick that up? It’s incredible that a fairly beleaguered Bayern could go to the in-form England team and get a result like that and do it with a penalty from Harry Kane, right there, he just added that little bit of extra sauce.
But this is what Bayern does. It’s what Real have always done, what City seem to be learning and what Arsenal are striving towards. Mikel Arteta has some catching up to do, others have been perfecting this over years (in the case of Real and Bayern, decades), but that remains the beauty of the Champions League. There are, despite the financial power and institutional dominance of a select few, those who seem to be gaining strength. Whether you are for or against City, there is no doubt that they (and Chelsea before them) have disrupted the natural order and that, when it comes down to men running around the pitch, is good for football.
Real and City already have their history. When they meet, the 22 of them paint. The art of this match is unparalleled now and one innocent acceptance of these classics is that both coaches, Guardiola and perennial winner Carlo Ancelotti, simply shrug and accept that the other is very good at their job.
“We were in a good position and (Federico) Valverde did it,” Guardiola said of Real’s late equalizer afterwards. ‘What can you do about it? Give a clap and accept it. “The feeling I have with Real Madrid is that no matter how well you play, they will always score a goal.”
Valverde himself talked about legs and oxygen, and all the basics. There has been a brief respite from the relentless dissection of tactical styles that has engulfed the Premier League here in Spain, where it has just been recognized that both teams are packed with incredible world-class stars, both content with their alternative philosophies. It has been an attitude of getting on with the game because we all know that Real plays vertically, we know that City is more horizontal. Watching the fire and brimstone in four playoffs over the last five years is a great pleasure.
Arsenal and Bayern Munich also played out an entertaining draw in London on Tuesday night.
Guardiola admitted that his team could do little against the effort of Federico Valverde (R)
Ultimately, the Champions League remains football’s most important competition and feels like witnessing history every year.
Do they play with each other too much? That is an argument against the expanded Champions League, a move to freshen up the tired group stage but one that acknowledges its own shortcomings. Too many good things. Without a doubt, this has its merit and is one of the main reasons why the idea of a Super League should always be fought with everything. But when they arrive in the spring, well, that’s a whole different matter. Real Madrid taking on City (and perhaps Bayern taking on Arsenal in the future) is one that shines on the calendar. It is a pleasure for the eyes. It is unpredictable, illegal at times, a limitless quality that is simply not guaranteed in the Premier League.
The most important competition in football gives you the feeling of witnessing history once the quarterfinals arrive. It reminded me of a question perfectly formulated to Rodri on Monday afternoon, 24 hours before the first leg, which began like this: “Real is the king of Europe, but you have the crown.”
So true and put in that context, the rampage makes it the greatest show on Earth.