Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw by Manchester City in the first leg of the semi-final clash at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Vinicius Junior gave the defending champions the lead in the 36thminute as his long range effort hit the back of the net after a brilliant build-up play by the host. The Spanish giants were all over the place searching for a second to kill the game as several efforts were saved by Ederson but it was Kevin De Bruyne who found the back of the net in the 67th minute to equalize for the 2021 finalists.
A lot has been said about Kevin De Bruyne’s goal, not just for the brilliant effort from outside the box to beat Thibaut Courtois but question marks are raised as to if the ball had gone out of play for a throw-in just few seconds before the goal. Bernardo Silva kept the ball in play as assumed by the referees but video footage emerging after the match seem to show the ball had gone out of play and should have been called back for a check by the VAR.
There’s still everything to play for in the second leg of this clash as both sides meet again on the 17th of May at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.