Real Madrid booked their ticket to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals by securing a 2-1 win on the night in northern England against Manchester City to wrap up a 5-1 aggregate win. Vinícius Júnior scored both goals, a penalty and a late tap in, either side of an Erling Haaland finish from close range shortly before half-time.
Three answers
1. Would Real Madrid make it 36 times in a row progressing from a 3-0 first leg lead?
Heading into this tie, Real Madrid had won the first leg of a two-legged knockout stage
tie by three or more goals on 36 occasions in major European competition, and they protected their record of never yet being eliminated. Álvaro Arbeloa also became the first Real Madrid coach to win all four of his first four knock-out ties in the UEFA Champions League, and Real Madrid’s morale was soaring. Here, Los Blancos didn’t just get the job done and escape intact, but they once again dismantled Pep Guardiola’s team and looked the superior side, albeit aided by the man advantage after Bernardo Silva was sent off for a clear handball in the first half. The tie was settled in Madrid, but this second leg victory, and the level of performance which earned it, is what will truly make Madridistas believe that the trophy could return to the Bernabéu from Budapest.
2. Would Fran García take his chance?
With Álvaro Carreras unfit to start, Fran García was set to come in for the only change to the side from the first leg with Ferland Mendy also ruled out. García appears to be a clear third-choice for Arbeloa, and he hadn’t started a game under the coach until the win over Elche at the weekend when he was the only senior natural left-back available. While he did well against Elche, he was the weak link here, failing to win a single tackle or ground duel and giving the Citizens two clear penalty appeals for a handball and also for a possible foul on Bernardo Silva. This game may have shown why Arbeloa didn’t trust him more. But it also gave a surprising opportunity to Andriy Lunin, with Thibaut Courtois taken off as a precaution at half-time, the Ukrainian got his first minutes since Arbeloa’s humiliating debut defeat to Albacete in the Copa del Rey. His three saves went further to making a point and staking a claim of Courtois’ injury is worse than initially feared.
3. Would Kylian Mbappé feature?
While few expected Kylian Mbappé to come into the side, coach Álvaro Arbeloa insisted on Monday that Mbappé was “already available” and the Frenchman was included in the travelling party. When he did come on with 21 minutes still to play, it seemed more of a training routine to build fitness levels than calling upon him because his team truly needed him. Understandably, he looked a little off the pace, and he earned himself a needless yellow card for time wasting in one of few moments that caught the eye. He had a penalty shout turned down as he raced past Rayan Aït-Nouri, but we did not see enough of Mbappé to truly envisage how he fits into Arbeloa’s system which has worked so well in recent weeks while the striker was recovering from his ongoing knee issue.
Three questions
1. Is Álvaro Arbeloa to credit for Vinícius Júnior’s revival?
As he coolly tucked away a penalty, only days after missing one against Elche, and added a second deep in injury time, Vinícius Júnior took his tally of goals scored to nine goals in 15 matches for Real Madrid since Álvaro Arbeloa’s arrival across all competitions, two more than what he registered in 33 games under Xabi Alonso. Vini has stepped up under Arbeloa and seems to have all the confidence of a leading man under the new coach. It was telling in injury time, with Kylian Mbappé on the field but on the edge of the box looking for the cutback, that the Brazilian was attacking the six-yard box and gambling on a cross close to the goal. It was the kind of run that had vanished from his game only a few months ago, his frustrations instead getting the better of him. He now looks a more confident figure, ready to lead by example and let his football do the talking as it did at the Etihad.
2. Was this Dean Huijsen’s coming-of-age night?
The season of Dean Huijsen has been one to summarise Real Madrid’s season well. A bright start and signs of promise which faded to mediocrity and disappointment. Yet in both legs against Manchester City, and in recent weeks more generally, he has looked like the player Real Madrid seemed to have beaten off half of Europe to sign in the summer. Composed on the ball, with a 94% pass completion rate, he was clinical in possession and when seeking to play out from the back. That was reflected in his eight passes into the final third, while his accurate forward zone passes were second only to Arda Güler in Real Madrid colours. He also won both of his ground duels and recorded 10 clearances in total. Up against one of Europe’s strongest attacking forces, he stood firm alongside the experienced Antonio Rüdiger. If he can play to this level consistently, Real Madrid have a real talent on their hands.
3. What’s next on the road to Busdapest?
Almost certainly, a tricky tie against Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich. The Bavarians beat Atalanta 6-1 in Italy in the first leg, and finished the league stage in second place with seven wins and one defeat, coming against the side who finished first, Arsenal, in London. That was one of only two defeats in any competition so far this season. Averaging 3.6 goals scored per game in Germany domestically this season, they most certainly won’t be an easy side to face, even with a goalkeeper crisis meaning that they are missing several options between the sticks. This meeting of two giants of the competition is exactly the kind of challenge that Real Madrid could thrive upon, as they’ve shown by standing up to the challenge of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, as opposed to having the tag of heavy favourites as they did against Benfica where
