The first leg of Real Madrid's crucial Champions League semi-final match would be contested in Manchester. For lengthy portions of the game, Pep Guardiola's side were the better team, but they squandered several chances. City might have been four or five goals ahead at halftime, and that is not an exaggeration. Despite the difficulties of dealing with Manchester City's attacking threat, Madrid was able to reclaim some ground because to the individual excellence of Karim Benzena and Vinicius Junior. Seven goals were scored in the first leg, leaving the second leg up for grabs.
Player ratings for the whole match are listed below:
Thibaut Courtois—5: Belgium is up against it. Only made one save while allowing four goals. On Bernado Silva's goal, he should have done better after being beat at his near post.
Dani Carvajal—4.5: After Alaba and Militao's dismal games, Dani Carvajal is left to fight for himself. On a Foden shot, he made a goal-line clearing, although he should have done better on City's first and fourth goals.
Eder Militao—2: Constantly threw the backline off with dangerous gambles, and when pressured, he lumped the ball upfield to no one.
David Alaba—2: To win the ball, he attempted daring gambles like Militao. Manchester City scored a second goal in the first half as a result of one such risk. At halftime, he was replaced.
Ferland Mendy—4.5: Struggled to contain Riyad Mahrez, who scored the opening goal, then wasted another great opportunity. Mahrez was a regular thorn in the side of Real Madrid.
Toni Kroos—6: In the absence of Casemiro, he was forced to play as a defensive midfielder and was overrun for the entirety of the first half. In the second stanza, Kroos and the squad regained their footing.
Fede Valverde—7: Fede Valverde had a difficult first half, in which he lost track of De Bruyne on the first goal barely 90 seconds in. He delivered clever touches to beat City's press, carried the ball with purpose, and doubled down defensively to support Carvajal in the second half.
Luka Modric -6 Quiet was swamped in the first half, as did the rest of the squad, but regained his composure in the second, with a wonderful nutmeg on Bernardo Silva and a through play to Benzema.
Vinicius Junior—8: Helped Madrid fight their way back into the game with a superb solo goal. The final-third decision-making left a lot to be desired, but it was a pain for City to defend against.
Rodrygo Goes—4: He was unable to maintain his strong form from the previous several games.
Karim Benzema—8.5: Two goals, one of which was a paneka penalty after he had only missed two penalties all weekend. If you give him an opportunity, he will seize it. Another outstanding display in the Champions League.