Soccer

City beat Real Madrid to reach first Champions League final

City beat Real Madrid to reach first Champions League final

Premier League champions Manchester City have reached the Champions League final after beating Real Madrid 4-0 in the second leg of their semi-final tie on Wednesday night. The result gives City a 5-1 aggregate victory and sets up a thrilling final against Inter Milan. City will hope to lift their first European Cup to become only the second English club to win the Treble since Manchester United in 1999. 

“With our people we’re always very strong. They were amazing once again today. They helped us get momentum to go after Madrid. We know how tough they are. Even in the second half they pushed us and could have scored,” Silva said. “We were very resilient, very passionate and organized at the same time, I’m so happy with this performance.” Get more football handicaps and news here! 

City’s victory over Real Madrid was a dominant display from the Premier League champions. They were superior in possession and created a number of chances, while Real Madrid rarely threatened. City, who won the first leg 1-1 in Madrid, were in control from the start at the Etihad Stadium and took the lead through Bernardo Silva in the 23rd minute, and doubled their advantage 14 minutes later. 

Manuel Akanji scored City’s third goal in the 76th minute before Julian Alvarez added a fourth goal for City in the extra time to seal a 5-1 aggregate victory. “At home we feel incredible comfort with our people,” coach Pep Guardiola said. “A final against an Italian team is not the best gift, honestly. They are competitive. This victory will get a lot of compliments but we have time to prepare mentally.”

City have not lost at the Etihad in 26 Champions League matches going into the match against Real, who beat them in two Champions League semi-finals. They are on a 23-game unbeaten streak in all competitions. City’s performance was a statement of intent from a team that is determined to win the Champions League for the first time. They have now reached the final in two of the last three seasons and will be confident of going all the way this time around. 

The final, which will take place in Istanbul on June 10, will now feature Inter Milan versus Guardiola’s team. Inter defeated AC Milan 3-0 on aggregate to go to their first Champions League final appearance since 2010. The Champions League championship game will undoubtedly be thrilling. It will be a matchup between two of the top teams in Europe, and anything may happen.