Erling Haaland and Manchester City dealt what might just be the final blow to Xabi Alonso’s short tenure as Real Madrid head coach on Wednesday, as Pep Guardiola’s side came back to beat the Spanish giants 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
MORE — Latest UEFA Champions League table
Rodrygo snapped his 32-game goal drought when he scored the opener in the 28th minute, but Manchester City were quickly back on level terms and then ahead before halftime. Nico O’Reilly made it 1-1 in the 35th minute when Thibaut Courtois spilled Josko Gvardiol’s header from a corner kick, and Haaland converted from the penalty spot in the 43rd after Antonio Rudiger dragged him to the ground.
The victory sends Man City (13 points) up to 4th in the UEFA Champions League table, in prime position for a top-eight finish and, crucially, the bye from the first knockout round that comes with it. Real Madrid (12 points) are only three places lower in 7th, but Wednesday’s defeat could be the final game for Alonso, if widespread reports are to be believed. Real Madrid currently sit 2nd in La Liga, four points behind leaders and rivals Barcelona after 16 games played.
What’s next?
- Crystal Palace vs Manchester City — Sunday, 9 am ET
- Bodo/Glimt vs Manchester City (next UCL fixture — Jan. 20)
Real Madrid vs Manchester City live updates - by Andy Edwards
Real Madrid vs Manchester City final score: 1-2
Goalscorers: Rodrygo (28'), Nico O’Reilly (35'), Erling Haaland (43' - PK)
GOAL! Real Madrid 1-2 Man City: Haaland wins the penalty, then scores it (43')
PENALTY! Video review decides Rudiger fouled Haaland (42')
It took only 8 minutes for Manchester City to turn this game on it's head 🔄
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) December 10, 2025
Erling Haaland converts the penalty to get his 55th #UCL goal 🔥 pic.twitter.com/3Y6Ca8Sjqa
GOAL! Real Madrid 1-1 Man City: O’Reilly finishes after Courtois fumbles the ball (35')
Nico O'Reilly gets his first EVER #UCL goal, and it comes against European giants Real Madrid 🤩
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) December 10, 2025
He's been at the club since he was 8-years-old, what a moment for the young man 🥹 pic.twitter.com/RiSI9iamcx
GOAL! Real Madrid 1-0 Man City: Rodrygo sneaks in behind and fires home (28')
Rodrygo ends his 32-game goalless streak with a FINISH 😤 pic.twitter.com/cRQPKdBoQX
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) December 10, 2025
NO PENALTY! Ruben Dias initially whistled for a foul on Vinicius Junior (2')
Ruben Dias fouled Vinicius Junior on the edge of the penalty area — initially whistled as a penalty — but upon video review, the foul occurred just outside the box. Free kick to Madrid.
Real Madrid starting lineup
Courtois - Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, Carreras - Tchouameni, Ceballos, Bellingham - Rodrygo, Vinicius, Garcia
Man City starting lineup
Donnarumma - Nundes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly - Gonzalez, Cherki, Foden - Silva, Doku, Haaland
How to watch Real Madrid vs Manchester City live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 3pm ET Wednesday (December 10)
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu — Madrid
TV Channel/Streaming: Paramount+
Xabi Alonso’s Real have won four of their five Champions League games this season but they’ve won just one of their last five in La Liga amid a defensive injury crisis. The pressure is on Alonso from some due to the style of play, as the new Real Madrid coach is quickly finding out the difference between being a player for Real and being the manager. He seems as calm as ever but he could really do with a big win to silence the critics. For now.
Pep Guardiola’s City have looked more like themselves in recent weeks, as they’ve racked up three wins in a row in the Premier League and scored 11 goals in the process. But they did lose at home to Bayer Leverkusen last time out in the Champions League and if they want to finish in the top eight of the league phase and be seeded for the knockout round, pulling off a big win at Real will be very helpful.
Real Madrid team news, focus
Alonso has had to deal with plenty of defensive injuries in recent weeks, with Eder Militao the latest center back to go down. Defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal, Dean Huijsen, David Alaba and Ferland Mendy are also out, as Alonso has had to get creative in defense with midfielders and full backs playing at center back in recent games. Antonio Rudiger, who has missed most of this season through injury, will likely start at center back as he renews his battle with Erling Haaland and midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni could start alongside him. In attack Kylian Mbappe has been excellent but Alonso is trying to get the balance right alongside him.
Manchester City team news, focus
City only have a few injury issues with Rodri’s recovery ongoing, plus Mateo Kovacic remains out until the new year. John Stones is a doubt as he didn’t feature against Sunderland at the weekend. City will likely go with in-form Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki and Jeremy Doku in support of Haaland with Bernardo Silva and Nico Gonzalez in midfield.
Real Madrid vs Manchester City prediction
This feels like it will be a fun, open game as both teams will go for the win given their position in the Champions League table, and then you have Mbappe and Haaland hungry to prove their status as the best goalscorer in the game with defensive issues a problem for both teams. Real Madrid 2-2 Manchester City.
