December 11, (THEWILL) — Manchester City overturned a one-goal deficit to beat Real Madrid 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday evening, intensifying the pressure on manager, Xabi Alonso. Erling Haaland converted a 43rd-minute penalty to complete the turnaround after Nico O’Reilly had equalised for the visitors in the first half.
Real Madrid took the lead through Rodrygo in the 28th minute, the Brazilian, ending a 32-match run without a goal by finishing from a tight angle. The hosts had already been denied a penalty following a VAR review, which ruled that Matheus Nunes had fouled Vinicius Junior outside the penalty area. Madrid’s momentum faded after O’Reilly tapped in from close range following a spill by Thibaut Courtois, who failed to hold Josko Gvardiol’s header.
Haaland’s penalty arrived eight minutes later, awarded by VAR after Antonio Rudiger brought down the Norwegian striker inside the box. Courtois produced an outstanding double save to keep Madrid within touching distance, but the home side struggled to create clear opportunities in the second period.
Madrid managed only one shot on target across the match, with Vinicius wasting two excellent chances in the second half. Endrick struck the crossbar but could not force an equaliser for the home side, who played without Kylian Mbappe, an unused substitute due to injury.
The victory lifted City to fourth place in the UEFA Champions League standings. Madrid’s defeat compounds a difficult period for Alonso, whose side failed to capitalise on their early dominance.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
