Manchester City put up a stunning show in the second leg of the semi-final clash played against Real Madrid. The first leg between the two teams had ended in a 1-1 draw but the home game for City turned out to be a memorable one as they thrashed Real Madrid by 4-0. Bernardo Silva was the star hitting two goals in the first half and City then upped their game in the second half to close the doors of a comeback for Madrid with Manuel Akanji and Julian Alvarez doubling the lead in the dying moments of the game.
The demons of 2022 were still haunting the Manchester City but they came out with determination on Wednesday and dominated the proceedings from the outset. It was due to their goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois that Madrid didn't concede early in the game. Thibaut kept Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne at bay. But it was Bernardo Silva who breached the defence with the relentless pressure finally paying off in the 23rd minute.
Within 15 minutes, Silva was into action again as the Portugal international placed a brilliant header past the Madrid keeper to double the lead. Madrid who are 14-time European Champions would've hoped to make a comeback in the second half, like they usually do. But City barely gave them a chance and Manuel and Alvarez just ended their hopes with two more goals later.
"It's a beautiful night for us. We knew it was going to be tough. But to beat this Madrid team 4-0 at home, it was wonderful. A wonderful feeling to be in the final again, and hopefully this time we can try and win it," Silva said after the win. "My performance in the first game in Madrid wasn't the one I wanted. I wanted to try and compensate for that because I didn't feel very good at all after the first game. And here today, I had to do better for my teammates and the fans.
"We were very resilient, we very passionate and organised at the same time. I'm so, so happy with that performance," Silva added. Manchester City will now face Inter Milan in the final of the Champions League on June 10 in Istanbul.
