For Xabi Alonso, the slide towards the abyss has looked sudden from the outside. Everything was fine at the beginning of November, the results excellent. Since when precious little has gone his way. The Real Madrid manager desperately needed something here. When this latest game eluded him, it was easy to fear the worst. Time is not a commodity afforded to men in his position.
Alonso has now won only twice in eight matches in all competitions and if his pain was deep, there was simply satisfaction for Pep Guardiola. The Manchester City manager had arrived in Madrid – the scene of so much emotion for him over the years – needing a response to the home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in his club’s previous Champions League game.
Guardiola got his lineup wrong that night and he took no chances on this occasion, going as strong as possible. The result was a come-from-behind victory that tasted extremely sweet.
Madrid were set fair when Rodrygo scored for the first time in 33 club-level appearances but the whistles from the home fans would be shrill when it was all over. Nico O’Reilly equalised for City with his first Champions Leaguue goals and it was Erling Haaland – who else? – who got what proved to be the winner from the penalty spot. Madrid fought until the last. It was not their night. And it certainly was not one for Alonso.
Alonso’s future felt like the only story in town. It had dominated the buildup, the dreaded “dead man walking” phrase applied at virtually every turn. There was a reason why he was asked on Tuesday whether he was lonely. Where were his allies?
It was just Alonso’s 22nd game in charge and among his issues was a defensive injury crisis plus Kylian Mbappé being fit enough only for the bench. This is a stadium that City have come to know well and it never fails to wow. It is the sense of cinema, which is reinforced by the numerous giant screens up in the rafters. Pep Guardiola got his usual whistles from the crowd. The heat on Alonso was far greater.
Everybody had expected goals and the initial exchanges suggested they were a racing certainty. Alonso almost got the early one he craved when Vinícius Júnior swayed one way and then the other on the edge of the City area and was fouled by Matheus Nunes’s swiping challenge. The referee, Clément Turpin, pointed to the penalty spot only for the VAR to rule that the offence was fractionally outside the box. Federico Valverde’s free-kick deflected and flashed past the far post.
Madrid did not look like a team in crisis at the outset. There was a fluidity about them, width on both sides. Jude Bellingham had the licence to roam; ditto Vinícius. They were able to stretch City.
Vinícius went close on seven minutes, dinking wide from Rodrygo’s glorious low cross and the breakthrough had been advertised. When Álvaro Carreras sparked a break from left-back, having wrestled Bernardo Silva off the ball, Madrid worked it via Bellingham out right to Rodryo. He was too quick for the covering O’Reilly. The finish was arrowed into the far corner.
The president of La Liga, Javier Tebas, has reiterated his ambition to stage a league match abroad, suggesting Saudi Arabia as a potential host, despite prior plans drawing fierce opposition within Spain.
'There is a debate in Fifa right now about making a rule to allow for domestic matches to be played abroad,' Tebas said at the World Football Summit in Riyadh. 'We will see how that evolves, but we are going to keep trying ... (an overseas match) is still our goal. We keep getting closer and hope soon we will achieve it.'
La Liga had proposed hosting a match between Barcelona and Villarreal at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium in December, but the plan collapsed amid fierce criticism, player protests and legal challenges. Real Madrid filed complaints with Spain's sports ministry, accusing the league and Spanish FA of bypassing clubs.
'One match out of 380 matches is nothing, and it would really help us grow our audiovisual product," Tebas said. 'And not just in the US; we'd also love to bring (a La Liga game) to Saudi Arabia. It is still our objective, and each time we've got closer to achieving it. The next time, we trust we will achieve it.' Reuters
And relax? Hardly. The vulnerabilities of this Madrid team were stamped all over the remainder of the first half, their descent from a position of strength startling. They would have been 3-1 down by the interval had Thibaut Courtois not made a double save to keep out Haaland and Rayan Cherki after O’Reilly had crossed from the left.
The match turned when Josko Gvardiol got above Bellingham to work Courtois from Cherki’s corner; the goalkeeper could only shovel the ball out to O’Reilly who shot home. Madrid argued that Rúben Dias had fouled Antonio Rüdiger, Mbappé gesturing up at the screens to make the point. The offence was not there.
O’Reilly was involved in the goal for 2-1 and so was Rüdiger. When the former crossed, Haaland was too sharp with his movement and Rüdiger seemed to panic, grabbing him and falling on top of him. The only surprise was that Turpin did not give the penalty straight away. He needed a nudge from the VAR. Haaland relished the responsibility from the spot.
Madrid had shouted for a penalty before the City counter that led to Courtois’s double-save, Raúl Asencio going to ground near to Gvardiol following a Rodrygo free-kick. It was wishful thinking; desperate.
How much did Alonso’s players want to fight for him in the second half? It was a legitimate question given the leaks from the dressing room that indicated they have not exactly been enthused by him. Bellingham battled the frustration and he felt it deepen after the restart. It was a big chance for him, Rodrygo ushering him in on the overlap only the chipped finish was too heavy. He had only Gianluigi Donnarumma in front of him.
City grew into the game. Cherki wanted to showcase his tricks and he almost helped his team to another goal; he narrowly missed Haaland with one pass. Doku flickered on the counter.
Vinícius could not release Rodrygo on the hour, O’Reilly getting back to tackle and there would be a late push from Madrid, Alonso going for broke when he introduced Endrick for Asencio. Vinícius headed off target and volleyed another chance high. When Endrick hit the crossbar with a late header, the writing was on the wall.
