Bernardo Silva-inspired Manchester City knock Real Madrid out of the Champions League

Real Madrid’s Champions League title defence has come to an end at the semi-final stage, with Manchester City securing a dominant 4-0 victory on the night, which ensured a 5-1 aggregate victory for Pep Guardiola’s side.

Carlo Ancelotti opted to start with Eder Militao in place for Antonio Rudiger for Wednesday’s second leg, despite the latter’s excellent performance in the first leg, and it is a decision that appeared to backfire, as Man City absolutely dominated the first half.

Thibaut Courtois made several excellent saves, but he was powerless to stop Bernardo Silva opening the scoring after 25 minutes. The Portuguese added his and Man City’s second soon after, looping a header into the back of the net.

Real Madrid had a disastrous first half, and although they improved in the second period, they were unable to beat Ederson in the Man City goal. The hosts added a third courtesy of a Militao own goal, while Julian Alvarez added a fourth in injury time to put the icing on the cake.

Man City will now play Inter Milan in next month’s final, while Real Madrid will return to La Liga action to see out their season. It is a disappointing end for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, although they have picked up three trophies across the campaign.