Manchester City began the game with a reprimand at 15 times European champions. A giant flag was passed along fans behind one of the goals that showed Rodri kissing the Golden Ball.
The message in the typhus reminded Real Madrid that they had boycotted the ceremony in a pique attack because Vinicius Jr had not won. “Stop crying your heart,” said the slogan. It was a high -risk strategy, given the inconsistency of the city.
And when it was the final whistle, the scoreboard told a 3-2 victory for visitors and Madrid no longer cried. City had flown twice with unlikely clues and saw its former player Brahim Díaz snatch the second of his team's equalizers in the 86th minute.
And then, deep in added time, Jude Bellingham ran to the vinicius junior lobe on Ederson and touched the ball on the empty network. It was the city's turn to regret its destiny and curse another setback in this most difficult season.
Two goals from Erling Haaland, his first attacks against Madrid, seemed that they would send City to Bernabéu next Wednesday with a thin advantage, but Madrid always looked like the team with more class and made him pay at the end.
There has been a lot of the injuries that City has suffered this season, but there was a lonely reason for any type of optimism among its fans before the beginning, it was that Madrid had also plunged into what its coach, Carlo Ancelotti, called 'An emergency situation'.
Jude Bellingham took a step forward in the 92nd minute to score Real Madrid's winner
Brahim Díaz had matched only six minutes before, but refused to celebrate against his former club
Erling Haaland scored twice, but it wasn't enough to prevent City from being hit in the Etihad
Real entered the first game of key defense failures Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba, Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal, while Lucas Vázquez, who had been deputing to the right, was also discarded with an injury to the hamstring.
So Federico Valverde began to the right and the defensive midfielder Aurélien Tchouameni was chosen again in the central defense with Raúl Asencio, the young graduate of the Academy who has only made 21 appearances for the first team.
City seemed in rude health compared, although, of course, there was no rodri. Nor was there any possibility for Kyle Walker, who moved on loan to AC Milan, renewed his convincing rivalry with the rhythm of Vinicius Jr. Walker took the city with problems against Quicksilver Madrid forward and time in the past.
The opening exchanges were uniform, but after ten minutes, Madrid suddenly exploded in a brilliant and vibrant life. Vinicius jr mundane the nut Ruben days in the line halfway and then curved a magnificent pass in the Mbappe path. Mbappe ran to him, but his sharp shot remained out of a fine and except for ederson diving.
Madrid was alive with steps and bad intentions now and Rodrygo immersed a beautiful pass behind the defense of the city and entered the area for Ferland Mendy to run. Real tried to walk, but Nathan Ake threw himself on the path of Mendy's shot and the opportunity was lost.
Vini JR was caught in a city sandwich between Ake and Manuel Akanji, but the referee rejected his appeals for a penalty. And just when it seemed that it was just a matter of time until Madrid scored, City scored instead.
It was also a good goal. Haaland held the ball halfway within the real half and led to Jack Grealish. Grealish floated a delicate pass over the true defense, Josko Gvardiol put it and Haaland raised him beyond Thibaut Courtois.
Real tried to turn on the setback to the side. Vini Jr hit the bar with a curly shot and the city received a blow when Grealish was forced with an injury after half an hour. It was replaced by Phil Foden.
Foden had an immediate impact. He cut inside his man on the edge of the Madrid area and unleashed a growing shot in the left foot that Courtois turned around. From the corner of Kevin de Bruyne, Akanji looked at a header at the top of the bar.
All confidence had been exhausted from Madrid and City, bad stones, they were controlling the game. Only at the end of the middle, the visitors recovered their poise. Mbappe curved a shot at the top of the bar when he should have scored.
City began the second half with force. Haaland's shot got out of Eduardo Camavinga's leg and became a spiral over Courtois on the bar of the bar, but then Madrid raised his search for a draw.
Vini Jr accelerated beyond Rico Lewis, who had come to Akanji at halftime, and cut a cross taken to Jude Bellingham, who headed for par. A couple of minutes later, Ederson saved well from a Mbappe near Snap-Snap.
Madrid needed a portion of luck to draw the level. When City only half accelerated a free kick, Dani Ceballos made him the box and Mbappe escaped from his markers. He tried an acrobatic volley, but the ball hit his pimp and placed himself in a lazy arch beyond Ederson and the network.
Madrid recovered his trust now. Valverde whistled a shot wide and Bellingham blew one by one with Ederson when he could not match his brilliant career with an appropriate ending and hit his shot too close to the goalkeeper, who was saved with his legs.
But then, 11 minutes from the end, City perforated Madrid's confidence with a goal, as they had done in the first half. Ceballos brought Jinken's career from Foden until an abrupt end with an industrial challenge and Haaland sent Courtois in the wrong way and slipped the ball to the lower corner.
City celebrated what they thought it was an unlikely victory, but Díaz and Bellingham had other ideas.
More to follow …