June 2nd, 2022

Back-to-back Champions, yet once again fall short for European glory

Manchester City has once again proven their quality as they came up successful in defending their Premier League title. However, Guardiola’s side has once again come up short of their long-wanted European dream. Losing to Chelsea in the finals of the competition, Manchester City wants only one thing: The Champions League.

Having drawn Portugal side Sporting CP in the first round of the tournament, City managed to cruise into the quarter-finals with an aggregate score of 5-0. In the quarter-finals, they faced Simeone’s side where they struggled to face the low block style of Atleti, as they came out with a classic defensive 4-4-2. At the Ethiad, City managed to gain an edge by going into the second leg with a one-goal lead where they managed to secure the advantage by ending the game with both sides goal-less. In the semi-finals, they faced Carlo Ancelotti’s side who had beaten PSG and Chelsea in their conquest to bring back the Big Ear to the Bernabeu. 2 minutes into the first leg, Kevin DeBruyne finds the back of the net with a header followed by a clean finish from Gabriel Jesus at the far post 9 minutes later. Although Benzema managed to bag one in to spark a comeback, Mancity held on to their one-goal lead going into halftime. 8 minutes into the second half, Phil Foden comes up with a goal to further increase the gap, which is soon brought back after Vinicius Jr’s goal 2 minutes later. In the 74th minute, Bernardo Silva finds fires toward the near post, leaving Courtois stunned. In the 82nd minute, Madrid are awarded a penalty after Laporte’s handball from a set-piece situation. Benzema steps up to the spot. Having missed his last 4 penalties that month, the fate of Real is on his shoulders. He runs up and casually chips a panenka past Ederson, silencing the home fans at the Ethiad. Looking back, the penalty was much more than a penalty, it showed Real’s mentality and history in the competition that City did not have. The message was clear: “We are Real Madrid, 13 Champions League titles; We are the Champions League”. The final whistle blew as the Spanish side was bringing the fate of the game to the Bernabeu, a nightmare for visitors. Despite numerous speculations that Real was going to dominate from minute one, the truth was quite different. The first goal was scored in the 73rd minute by Riyad Mahrez. The score was 5-3 on aggregate and the Santiago Bernabeu sank into despair. Real needed two goals in less than 20 minutes. Little did City or Madrid know that the game was far from over. Rewinding the clock back to the 68th minute, Toni Kroos comes off and Rodrygo steps onto the pitch. Fast forward back to the 90th minute. Time is ticking down to the final minutes. 6 minutes of extra time is awarded. Just then, Karim Benzema gets into the box and crosses the ball to the near post where Rodrygo converts it at the near post. 5 minutes left and 1 goal to tie it all. Madrid trying to pull off the impossible. In the blink of an eye, Madrid retains possession of the ball. Dani Carvajal crosses the ball into the box which is deflected by Asensio and headed in by Rodrygo. 91st minute, the game is tied, going into overtime. City are shocked and tired, Madrid have seen and tasted a glimpse of hope.

Both teams finish there team talk as they go into overtime. 5 minutes in Benzema is brought down inside the box from a tackle by Ruben Dias. The referee points to the spot, rewarding a penalty to Real Madrid. Benzema is once again, on the spot. At that moment when the camera faces Benzema, you can see his mentality in his eyes in the short span of a few seconds. As he runs up, there is no hesitation as he slots it in to the bottom-right corner to finish the game once and for all. World Class. Ice Cold. Ladies and Gentlemen, Karim Benzema.

Since Guardiola has arrived, he has spent over 1.2 billion euros (1.3 billion USD) on signings. He has been able to deliver the championship to City multiple times, yet has fallen short on his mission to bring the Big Ear to the Ethiad. With the signing of Norwegian striker, Erling Haaland announced in the past few days, it will be key if City can for once, come up successful in their Champions League conquest.

Best/Worst Signing: Jack Grealish (Worst)

Acheivement: Premier League

Season Grade: A-