Nobody knew it was going to slip away and at the eleventh hour from Manchester City who had effectively managed two steps ahead of their hosts Real Madrid by a confident aggregate of 5-3.
City players and fans were just waiting for the full-time whistle to put a stamp on their tickets to Paris. Riyadh Mahrez had assured them full control of Santiago Bernabeu when he put in a goal to ensure a determined lead.
But the gods of Real Madrid weren’t asleep either. Rodrygo, who came in during Real’s moment of despair, scored an incredible late double in the 90th and 91st minutes, confirming that the battle had taken a twist and thus extra time.
Real Madrid, inspired by a magical performance in the face of their fans, many who had already exited the stadium, sent Karim Benzema soul searching in Man-City’s box which led to him earning a penalty.
He converted it and sealed the night’s fate.
“It’s the greatness of this club,” said Real coach Carlo Ancelotti. “It’s a club that doesn’t allow you to give up even if it seems everything is over. It gives you the strength to keep going, to fight, to believe.”
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola let out his breath in disbelief, astounded that it had slipped away in such a dramatic fashion.
“It’s tough for us, I can’t deny that,” said Guardiola. “We were so close.”
Real Madrid will now face the final with a violent Liverpool in Paris on May 28.
Sam Oduor is the founder and one of the editors at WKT. With a strong background in Communication and Journalism, Sam is an experienced digital media expert currently building a team of young professionals dedicated to telling the story of our community in a unique, authentic way.