Manchester City’s dreams of back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles have been dashed by Real Madrid.
The Spanish powerhouse has progressed to the semi-finals after a dramatic come-from-behind penalty shootout which they won 4-3, after the second leg at the Etihad Stadium ended 1-1 (4-4 on aggregate) after extra-time.
Kevin De Bruyne’s 76th-minute strike had cancelled out Rodrygo’s first-half opener before the match went to extra-time and then to penalties.
In the shootout, Madrid’s Luka Modric uncharacteristically missed, City’s Bernardo Silva hit his spot kick straight at Andriy Lunin, and teammate Mateo Kovacic also saw his effort saved. It was enough of an advantage for Carlo Ancelotti’s side to keep their noses in front before Antonio Rudiger wrapped it up.
The 14-time European champions will now meet German giant Bayern Munich in the semis after Thomas Tuchel’s outfit dumped Arsenal from the competition with a 1-0 victory at the Allianz Arena.
Joshua Kimmich’s 63rd-minute goal separated the two sides as Bayern progressed to the final four of Europe’s premier club competition for the first time since 2020.
After two defeats on the trot, Mikel Arteta’s Gunners will now be forced to focus on the Premier League title race having dropped points to Aston Villa last weekend.
In the Wednesday night fixtures, Paris Saint-Germain advanced at the expense of Barcelona 6-4 on aggregate after a 4-1 second leg win in Catalonia.
The French giants will meet German side Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals after they took care of Atletico Madrid 5-4 on aggregate courtesy of a 4-2 second leg triumph at thew Westfalenstadion.