Manchester – Real Madrid made significant progress toward the Champions League quarterfinals. They secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over Manchester City. Jude Bellingham sealed the win with a stoppage-time strike. The reigning champions battled through adversity. They managed to snatch a crucial win. This sets the stage for a high-stakes second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu next Wednesday.
Despite missing key defensive players like Antonio Rüdiger, Madrid started strong, dictating the tempo early on. City struck first. Erling Haaland capitalized on their first real opportunity in the 19th minute. He put Pep Guardiola’s side ahead.
A Back-and-Forth Battle
Madrid responded with relentless pressure, hitting the woodwork before finally leveling through Kylian Mbappé in the 60th minute. The French forward scored from a cross by Dani Ceballos in an unusual way. He used his shin to guide the ball past the City defense.
The drama didn’t stop there. Haaland’s coolly taken penalty in the 80th minute restored City’s advantage, but Madrid wasn’t done. Brahim Díaz found the net in the 86th minute to bring the score to 2-2, setting up a tense finale. Then, in the dying moments of stoppage time, Bellingham delivered the knockout punch. He secured a remarkable comeback win for Los Blancos.
PSG Cruises Toward Qualification
Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain made light work of their tie, cruising to a 3-0 win against Stade Brest. Ousmane Dembélé stood out as the star of the show. He netted twice (45’, 66’). Vitinha opened the scoring from the penalty spot. PSG took a commanding lead. They have all but sealed their place in the next round before the return leg in Paris next week.
