Manchester City is three video games away from making historical past. And after the gorgeous rout of Real Madrid within the Champions League semifinals on Wednesday, Pep Guardiola’s march towards a treble of trophies feels unstoppable. “We are there. We can think about it, can visualize it,” the City supervisor mentioned after his workforce’s 4-0 win at Etihad Stadium.
After drawing the primary leg 1-1, Madrid’s undisputed kings of Europe had been humbled and, aside from the efforts of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, the rating line might have been a lot worse for the 14-time champions.
City looks like an irresistible drive because it closes in on the Premier League, Champions League 2023 and FA Cup titles. It was actually too scorching for Madrid to deal with as Bernardo Silva scored twice within the first half, Eder Militao scored an personal purpose after the break and substitute Julian Alvarez struck in time added on to seal a 5-1 mixture win.
An evening to recollect for Man City, captured by @oppo _#UCLshots pic.twitter.com/yhtFrol6JA
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 17, 2023
Madrid has fought its method again from the brink on quite a few events over the previous two seasons, however this was too nice a problem. After overrunning the defending European champions, City will probably be favored to do the identical to Inter Milan within the ultimate in Istanbul on June 10.
A win in opposition to Chelsea on Sunday would safe a 3rd straight league title and Manchester United stands in its method within the FA Cup ultimate. United is the one English workforce to win the three most important trophies in a single season — doing so in 1999.
City has already overtaken its Manchester rival because the dominant drive in English soccer and may now emulate its biggest achievement. “We are close and of course we are going to try,” Guardiola mentioned.
City goes looking for its first Champions League title, whereas Guardiola is aiming to win it for a 3rd time as a coach. At instances, it has appeared as if the strain on Europe’s largest stage was too huge for a workforce that has been serial winners in home competitors. While City’s high quality has not often been in query over Guardiola’s seven years in cost, its temperament within the Champions League has been.
On too many events it has fallen brief when the warmth was on — dropping to underdogs equivalent to Monaco, Lyon and Tottenham. It was in command for nearly the whole thing of the two-legged semifinal in opposition to Madrid final yr, however nonetheless managed to lose after blowing a two-goal lead in the previous few minutes on the Santiago Bernabeu.
That by no means appeared doubtless on this event, nevertheless, as City offered additional proof that it’s lastly able to elevate the one trophy that has eluded it. “After 10 or 15 minutes I had the feeling that all the pain we had in one season, one year, what happened last season, was there today,” Guardiola mentioned. “It was actually powerful to lose the best way we lose and I believe we needed to swallow poison. Football all the time provides you one other probability.”
Carlo Ancelotti had described Madrid as a workforce with a “special power to stay alive.”
“We played against an opponent who deserved to win,” Ancelotti mentioned. “They played with more intensity, more quality up front and they took their chances. They were better than us today, we were better last year.”
Having been dominated for lengthy intervals by Madrid within the first leg final week, City took management from the beginning in entrance of its personal followers. Erling Haaland had two clear probabilities to attain earlier than Bernardo’s opening purpose — twice seeing headers saved by Courtois. With the gang roaring on each City problem, it felt like a matter of time earlier than the house workforce would discover a breakthrough — and it got here within the twenty third minute.
After denying Haaland twice, Courtois couldn’t hold out Bernardo, who raced onto Kevin de Bruyne’s move earlier than firing in on the close to put up. The sense of reduction was unmistakable — from Guardiola as a lot as anybody else within the stadium as he turned to the gang, double fist-pumped and blew kisses towards the supporters.
