Spanish giants Real Madrid have qualified for the final of this year’s UEFA Champions League final at the expense of Manchester City.
Two quickfire goals from Rodrygo and an extra time penalty helped Real Madrid overturn a first leg deficit against Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu to book a place against Liverpool in the final match of the competition.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City came to the Spanish capital with a slim lead having won 4-3 in Manchester and looked comfortable for another 90 minutes, Riyad Mahrez even extending the aggregate lead with a beautiful second half strike.
Los Blancos weren’t going to go out easy though and even though they had not tested the City goal in the 89 minutes prior, substitute Rodrygo scored twice in 84 seconds to level the tie and take it to extra-time.
City will claim that referee Daniel Orsato should have sent off Casemiro in the first half for two careless fouls, but it was Ruben Dias’ foul on the silent Karim Benzema in extra-time that paved the way for Madrid to score from the spot, the Frenchman scoring his 15th goal of the present campaign.
City had a chance to score thereafter but Thibaut Courtois stood firm in goal and Fernandinho failed to convert from point blank range.
Real Madrid will now face Liverpool on May 28 in Paris in a bid to win a 14th UEFA Champions League crown.
