City demolish Madrid 4-0 to enter Champions League final

Manchester City delivered a statement performance in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, thrashing the defending champions 4-0 to enter their second final in three years. Pep Guardiola’s side produced a dominant display of the ages against Europe’s finest as goals from Bernardo Silva, Manuel Akanji, and Julian Alvarez powered the English side to a 5-1 victory on aggregate, setting up a showdown against Inter Milan in the final in Istanbul on June 10.

Real headed into the second leg on equal footing following the 1-1 draw in Madrid, but Manchester City overpowered their Spanish counterparts from start to finish at the Etihad, running circles around the 14-time champions in eviscerating fashion.

Madrid struggled to keep up with City’s intense press and slick passing from the first whistle, with Thibaut Courtois forced to bail out the visitors on multiple occasions in the opening exchanges. The Belgian shot-stopper made a couple of crucial interventions from goal-bound Erling Haaland headers in the opening 20 minutes, keeping City at bay by the barest of margins.

Kevin de Bruyne lashed a free kick just wide of the post, and the hosts launched wave after wave of attacks to pepper the Madrid backline. Eventually, the pressure paid off. De Bruyne cut through the Madrid defence with a scything pass for Bernardo Silva, who wrong-footed Thibaut Courtois and powered the ball into the near post to put City 1-0 in front.

15 minutes later, Silva doubled his tally and the lead. The Portuguese latched onto a loose rebound in the box and sent his looping header into the back of the net to make it 2-0. Madrid struck the post in the first half from a long-range Toni Kroos strike, but barely managed to fashion any meaningful chances to test Manchester City’s backline.

The hosts continued to dominate after the break and found the decisive third goal in the 76th minute as Kevin de Bruyne’s set-piece found its way into the back of the net off Manuel Akanji and Eder Militao, giving City a 3-0 cushion. Argentine substitute Julian Alvarez later capped off the stunning City display in injury time by adding a fourth, latching onto Phil Foden’s through ball and neatly finishing past Courtois to send the Etihad into delirium.

Having booked their spot in the grand finale against Inter in Istanbul, Pep Guardiola’s side can turn their attention to domestic matters as they look to wrap up their fifth Premier League title in six seasons against Chelsea at the weekend before facing Manchester United in the FA Cup Final in two weeks.