10-man Manchester City were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Real Madrid on Tuesday, as Real won 2-1 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate to reach the quarterfinals in style.
Real remain City’s kryptonite in this competition.
MORE — Champions League bracket, schedule
City started well as they looked to overturn a first-leg deficit but were denied by Thibaut Courtois, then the game swung in Real’s favor. Vinicius Junior had a shot cleared on the line by Bernardo Silva’s arm and the Man City skipper was sent off and a penalty given which the Brazilian slotted home.
Erling Haaland made it 1-1 before the break in a wild end-to-end game as City dug deep but Real Madrid never looked in real trouble and Vinicius grabbed his second to seal the win in second half stoppage time.
For the fourth time in five years, Real Madrid have knocked Man City out of the Champions League. The Spanish giants and most successful team in the history of the Champions League will now likely face Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals as they lead Atalanta 6-1 from their first leg and the winner of that tie will face Real Madrid for a place in the semifinals.
Brave City thwarted by Courtois in second leg as epic comeback was on
It sounds crazy but City really had a chance of overturning the 3-0 deficit from the first leg. But Thibaut Courtois put in one of those Champions League displays again, as he made some huge stops in the first half before coming off at the break. Add in Bernardo Silva’s red card which led to a penalty kick for Real’s opener midway through the first half and City’s hopes were done. They were brave and hit Real hard early in this game and could have scored four or five quire easily. It underlined just how badly Pep Guardiola got it wrong in the first leg last week. It can happen but this one will sting for City. They really had a chance to overturn this but Guardiola’s choices and the brilliance of Courtois was the difference.
Man City vs Real Madrid live updates - By Joe Prince-Wright
Man City vs Real Madrid live score: 1-2 (1-5 agg.)
Goalscorers: Erling Haaland 41'; Vinicius Junior 22', 90+4'
Vinicius flicks home with the last act of the game
Brilliant cross from Tchaoumeni on the right and Vinicius flicks home a beauty.
Vinicius scores, but he’s offside
Vinicius scores late but he’s offside. He went big with the celebration too. The goal is ruled out.
Mbappe is on, and Donnarumma makes a big save
Not a bad sub to have. Kylian Mbappe is on for Brahim Diaz as he continues his recovery from injury. A corner is then flicked on by Tchouameni at the near post but Donnarumma saves really well. The next corner drops to Mbappe at the back post but his shot flashes wide.
Doku scores, but he is offside
On the break Jeremy Doku scores but he’s offside. He just went a bit early after the ball from Cherki.
Haaland, Nunes both off, with Semenyo, Marmoush on
Another couple of subs with Sunday’s League Cup final in mind. Semenyo and Marmoush are on with Haaland and Nunes off. Haaland could have scored three or four tonight. Just wouldn’t fall for him.
Lunin denies Haaland!
Brilliant stop down low from Lunin to deny Erling Haaland. The Ukrainian goalkeeper is called into action right away.
Courtois off at half time with Lunin on; City make two changes
He was excellent in that first half but Courtois is off at the break. Lunin is on. This feels like Courtois being rested if he has a small issue rather than anything else, especially as Real face Atletico in the Madrid derby this weekend. With the League Cup final on Sunday in mind, Guehi and Ake are on for City and Pep has gone to a back three.
Half time thoughts — Man City should be ahead
Well, not much else City could have done in that first half. They created so many chances but Courtois kept making saves, while at the other end Vinicius is causing all kinds of problems. Bernardo Silva’s red card for blocking a Vini shot on the line led to a penalty kick which the Brazilian scored, and he could have scored another couple after that as City were wobbling. But the 10 players are level after Haaland’s goal and they have created some massive chances. If City get a goal early in the second half, this is going to be very interesting.
Erling Haaland taps home at the back post! Game on!?
Brilliant work from the short corner to find Jeremy Doku. He dances past his man and crosses. It’s flicked on and Haaland scuffs it in. 1-1 on the night. 1-4 on aggregate. City couldn’t, could they?
Vinicius misses another huge chance!
Real hit City on the break and Guler tees up Vinicius 10 yards out, but he’s sliding and somehow puts it wide. This game could be 4-4!
Courtois denies Haaland again, and Rodri smashes wide
City are down a player but keep creating chances. Haaland’s shot at the near post is saved really well by Courtois and Rodri’s rebound is wide. Big chance for City. So many chances for both teams early!
Haaland denied superbly by Courtois, then Vinicius smashes over!
Two big chances at either end. First Doku crosses for Haaland but Courtois makes a fine save from close range. Then Vinicius runs towards goal on the counter but somehow smashes way over from close range. Big, big chances. Brilliant save from Courtois once again.
Silva sent off and Real Madrid have a penalty kick... which Vinicius scores!
Vinicius was onside and after the referee went to the monitor, the decision is clear. Silva is sent off for handball on the line and a penalty kick is given. Vinicius sends Donnarumma the wrong way and puts Real 1-0 up on the night and 4-0 up on aggregate. After all of that City pressure and chances early on, their Champions League dreams evaporate.
Bernardo Silva sees red for a handball on the line. Vini Jr. converts the penalty. Real are heading to the quarterfinals 👀 pic.twitter.com/w7LcVsqepH
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 17, 2026
Vinicius hits the post! VAR check for a possible penalty coming up...
Wonderful counter from Real Madrid as Vinicius Junior is set free down the left, cuts inside and curls a beauty towards the far post. It hits the post, hits Donnarumma’s back and comes back out. The ball is then clipped to the back post and Vinicius smashes a shot on goal which Bernardo Silva blocks with his arm. VAR is checking this. The offside at the start of the attack is being looked at closely.
EARLY SAVES! Courtois and Dommarumma already coming up big (3')
Barely two minutes into the game, both sides have already had a decent scoring chance. Federico Valverde, scorer of a hat trick in the first leg, got in behind with a brilliant run and pass from Vinicius Junior Gianluigi Donnarumma was out quickly to put him off and make the finish difficult. At the other end, Jeremy Doku found Rayan Cherki with a cross at the top of the box, but Thibaut Courtois was all over it to keep Madrid three goals to the good.
Man City starting lineup
Donnarumma - Nunes, Dias, Khusanov, Ait-Nouri - Rodri, Silva, Reijnders - Cherki, Doku, Haaland
Real Madrid starting lineup
Courtois - Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Garcia - Tchouameni, Pitarch, Valverde, Guler - Diaz, Vinicius
How to watch Manchester City vs Real Madrid live: Stream link, TV channel, team news, prediction
Kick off time: 4pm ET Tuesday (March 17)
Venue: Bernabeu — Madrid
TV Channel/Streaming: Paramount+
Real won the first leg 3-0 as Federico Valverde’s first-half hat trick was the highlight of a tour-de-force from the Uruguayan star. City kept the ball in the game but ceded huge chances to Real, especially on the left side where Marc Guehi and Nico O’Reilly had problems with Valverde and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The European Cup could well wind up as Real’s only chance for a trophy this season, as they’ve dropped four points behind Barcelona in La Liga with just one head-to-head meeting left on May 10 at the Camp Nou.
Manchester City team news, focus
City are waiting on minor injuries for Savinho and Rico Lewis, while Josko Gvardiol is out for at least another month. Ruben Dias was kept on the bench at the weekend while Rayan Ait-Nouri only played 60 minutes and Rayan Cherki only a half-hour.
Real Madrid team news, focus
Real remain without Raul Asencio, Ferland Mendy, Dani Ceballos, and Rodrygo, while Eder Militao is unlikely to be available for this second leg. Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe have been named in the squad but Bellingham had been expected out until April while Mbappe has not played since February 21.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid prediction
City will turn this into a proper tie, but can they produce the appropriate amount of goals without conceding one or two? We’re not so sure. Look for a respectable win but a UCL exit. Man City 3-1 (3-4 agg.) Real Madrid
