Bitter and Blue - Manchester City vs Real Madrid, 2016 Champions League: All UpdatesManchester City News, Opinion and Commentaryhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47425/bitter-fave.png2016-04-27T12:00:03+01:00http://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/rss/stream/112636692016-04-27T12:00:03+01:002016-04-27T12:00:03+01:00Man City 0-0 Madrid: 3 Things We Learned
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<figcaption>Paul Gilham/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">Manchester City's first ever trip to the Champions League semifinal ended with an ugly, unexciting 0-0 first leg draw with Real Madrid at Etihad Stadium. Here's a few takeaways from the action on Tuesday.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">1. City are still alive</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This sounds cliché, but it's the absolute truth. After a win, the next best result to get a home is a goalless draw. Especially against a team like Real Madrid, hold on to a 0-0 is basically a victory, and while Manuel Pellegrini might have played too safe for a home game, but let's face the facts: City are clear underdogs and the tie could have been decided already in Manchester because of Madrid's chances in the end. Considering the circumstances, the opponent and Man City's counter-attacking game, there is no reason to think the <i>Blancos</i> have already secured qualification. They are still massive favorites, but City can still shock the world.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">2. The tie will be decided by the injury report</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Yaya Touré, David Silva. These four names will be the most important thing about the second leg. Silva's injury destroyed City's offense on Tuesday, since Kevin De Bruyne was in charge of defending on the wings and was unable to create anything as the lone playmaker on the pitch. Touré's presence in midfield was surely missed going forward, and if he's able to contribute at the Bernabéu, City are in good position. If Silva returns, then the Citizens are really alive.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Ronaldo was not even on the bench for Tuesday's game, and with eight days to recover, it's safe to assume he'll be ready. Benzema looks to have aggravated his problem and is unlikely to play next week. But if Ronaldo alone is healthy enough to play, then the Whites will certainly be big favorites again.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Next Wednesday's team news will be the most important thing about the second leg. The finalist will be revealed before the game even starts.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">3. Joe Hart is a god</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;">LIKE SERIOUSLY, LOOK AT THIS FREAKING SAVE BY THE OWNER OF OUR HEARTS, JOE HART:</p>
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.326%;"><iframe style="text-align: justify; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="https://streamable.com/e/34gn?muted=1&logo=0"></iframe></div>
<p style="text-align: justify;">(via <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/" target="_blank">r/Soccer</a>)</p>
https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/2016/4/27/11514074/manchester-city-real-madrid-2016-champions-league-3-things-learnedRenatoGoncalves2016-04-27T08:00:03+01:002016-04-27T08:00:03+01:00Zidane: "We deserved more"
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<figcaption>Alex Grimm/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p style="text-align: justify;"><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.managingmadrid.com/">Real Madrid</a> manager <span>Zinedine Zidane</span> spoke to the media following his team's 0-0 draw away from home against <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/">Manchester City</a> in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals. The Frenchman was not happy with the result after seeing his team create two giant scoring chances that were stopped by keeper <span>Joe Hart</span>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Zidane showed his disappointment with the result, but remains confident of his team's possibilities of reaching the final in the return leg next week. Here's a rundown of Zidane's quotes:</p>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">"Overall, I am happy. It wasn't easy – we had a tough game but we defended really, really well. We had the ball more in the second half and we could have scored with the chances we had. I am a little bit disappointed as we could have deserved more. We always go out to win.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">"Cristiano [Ronaldo] felt something after the last training session, that's all there is to it. We didn't want to make it worse. Karim is a little bit different: as the game progressed he felt worse in himself. We don't want to gamble on fitness as we know how important both players are for us. Hopefully they can both play the second leg.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">"Before the game I thought it was 50/50, and I still think it is 50/50. We are at home now, and we know what we are capable of at home, but it's still 50/50 and it will be until the death. It's the semi-finals of the Champions League and we know it will never be easy."</p>
<p style="text-align: right;">Source: <a href="http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2016/matches/round=2000637/match=2015785/postmatch/quotes/index.html#cautious+optimism+zidane+pellegrini" target="_blank">UEFA.com</a></p>
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https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/2016/4/27/11514000/manchester-city-real-madrid-2016-champions-league-semifinal-zidaneRenatoGoncalves2016-04-27T04:00:03+01:002016-04-27T04:00:03+01:00Pellegrini: 'We are not afraid of the second leg'
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<figcaption>Alex Livesey/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p style="text-align: justify;"><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/">Manchester City</a> manager <span>Manuel Pellegrini</span> spoke briefly to the media after his team's 0-0 draw at home against <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.managingmadrid.com/">Real Madrid</a> in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals. The Citizens withstood a lot of pressure from the visitors, and finished with the next best result possible after a victory thanks to the away-goal rule.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The Chilean mentioned that small advantage in his post-match presser, and he also stated his men are not afraid of the great Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home of the return leg. Here's a rundown of Pellegrini's quotes:</p>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">"I'm not happy with the draw because we played a very intense game and defended well. We tried to create until <span>David Silva</span> got injured then we lost the ball too much. If you cannot win then a 0-0 draw is next best thing.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">"I think Madrid came here with a result in mind. We attacked Madrid, but we couldn't create a clear chance. In terms of intent, we had the most intent. Madrid had a real chance from that late corner, but luckily for us <span>Joe Hart</span> kept it out.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">"We knew they would try and play a slow game and we played very well against it. We pressed as a team, but unfortunately when we had the ball we couldn't make chances, we couldn't score.<span class="mceNonEditable"></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">"I don't think Madrid are favorites now. We have had good results playing away from home this season, against PSG, Dynamo Kyiv and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/la-liga/teams/sevilla">Sevilla</a>. We are not afraid of going to the Bernabéu."</p>
<p style="text-align: right;">Source: <a href="http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2016/matches/round=2000637/match=2015785/postmatch/quotes/index.html#cautious+optimism+zidane+pellegrini" target="_blank">UEFA.com</a></p>
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https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/2016/4/27/11514002/manchester-city-real-madrid-2016-champions-league-semifinal-pellegriniRenatoGoncalves2016-04-27T02:03:57+01:002016-04-27T02:03:57+01:00Watch Joe Hart save the day against Madrid
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<figcaption>Shaun Botterill/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.326%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/34gn?muted=1&logo=0" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="text-align: justify; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>
<p style="text-align: justify;">(via <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/">r/Soccer</a>)</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Manchester City</a> drew 0-0 against Real Madrid in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals on Tuesday. It was an intense battle that didn't feature a lot of football quality from either team, who seemed to play not to lose instead of playing to win.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">That was the case for about 75 minutes of action, and that is when Madrid took over and finally started to chase a goal as the better football team on the pitch. They came dangerously close in at least three opportunities: first, Gareth Bale tried a beautiful curling shot that went just wide of the post. A few minutes later, Casemiro jumped over the City defense in a corner-kick, but his powerful header found the foot of City's goalkeeper</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Then, in the 82nd minute, Madrid had another corner. Toni Kroos played a great ball into the box, which was deflected by Bale in the near post and felt right into the feet of defender Pepe, completely alone inside the six-yard box. Pepe was ready to score and give his team a vital away goal, but <span>Joe Hart</span> came to the rescue. A courageous dive in front of the Portuguese man to stop the ball from finding the net.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">You know why City are still alive and have a chance of reaching the Champions League Final in the second leg at Santiago Bernabéu next week? Because of Hart. What a monumental save.</p>
https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/2016/4/27/11514184/joe-hart-save-manchester-city-real-madrid-champions-leagueRenatoGoncalves2016-04-26T21:37:47+01:002016-04-26T21:37:47+01:00City survive, draw with Madrid
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<figcaption>Shaun Botterill/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">Manchester City put in a valiant effort in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal and was able to escape with a 0-0 draw against Real Madrid at Etihad Stadium on Tuesday. An intense match with very few scoring chances favored the Citizens, who fought hard, defended well and are still alive with a chance of reaching the Final next week at Santiago Bernabéu.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>FIRST HALF</b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The initial 45 minutes were boring and uneventful. There was plenty of intensity and physicality, with defenders from both teams making hard tackles and challenges against the opposing attackers, but the stars on the pitch did not create any chances.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Both defenses were compact and fast to close spaces, and City's group was especially great in transition defense, which was key to stop Madrid's fast attackers. There were no shots on target in the initial period, a perfect illustration of what we saw on the field: lot of fight, not too many ideas. The only major event in the half was David Silva, who left the game with a hamstring injury and was replaced by Kelechi Iheanacho.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">And that was it. For City, it was a very good first half because they stopped Madrid. For football, it was bad.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>SECOND HALF</b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The second half was pretty much as uninteresting as the earlier action, with both teams defending hard and not giving the other any space to create scoring opportunities. It wasn't until the last 20 minutes that Real Madrid took over, and even without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema,<i> Los Blancos</i> finally came to life.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Jesé hit the crossbar, Luka Modric had a dangerous outside shot and Gareth Bale came just inches away from scoring the opener, three major chances for Madrid in a span of just three minutes. City looked shaky at the back and unable to bring any danger going forward, and Real looked set to get an away goal in any moment.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">They got very close when Casemiro jumped over the City defense in a corner-kick, but his header found the saving foot of Joe Hart. Hart came to the rescue again a few minutes later, when the English keeper pulled off a miracle and stopped a shot from Pepe who was alone in front of him.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The pressure was gigantic, but the Citizens survived. In the end, a good result despite not scoring a goal at home, and there is a chance of qualifying at the Bernabéu next week. What a battle.</p>
<p align="center"><img src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/images/blog/star-divide.v5e9d7f1.jpg" style="border: 5px solid white;"></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Man City</b>: Hart; Sagna, Kompany, Otamendi, Clichy; Fernando, Fernandinho; Navas (Sterling), De Bruyne, Silva (Iheanacho); Agüero</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Real Madrid</b>: Navas; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Casemiro, Modric, Kroos (Isco); Bale, Benzema (Jesé), Vázquez</p>
https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/2016/4/26/11512290/manchester-city-real-madrid-champions-league-2016-final-score-instant-recapRenatoGoncalves2016-04-26T19:03:41+01:002016-04-26T19:03:41+01:00Man City vs Madrid: Lineups & Live Thread
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<figcaption>Clive Brunskill/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<div style="text-align: center;">UEFA Champions League Semifinal, 1st leg</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester, England</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Kickoff: 26 April 2016, 20:45 CET</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Referee: Cuneyt Çakir</div>
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<p style="text-align: left;">The teams have arrived!</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">All present and correct! ☑<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/mcfc?src=hash">#mcfc</a> team news is on its way... <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cityvreal?src=hash">#cityvreal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CMONCITY?src=hash">#CMONCITY</a> <a href="https://t.co/fZ7qMthohU">pic.twitter.com/fZ7qMthohU</a></p>
<div style="text-align: left;">— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MCFC/status/725015675643781120">26 de abril de 2016</a>
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<script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p style="text-align: left;">And the starting lineups are also out!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Man City (4-2-3-1): </b>Hart | Sagna, Kompany, Otamendi, Clichy | Fernandinho, Fernando | Navas, De Bruyne, Silva | Agüero</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><i>Substitutes: Caballero, Mangala, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Delph, Sterling, Iheanacho</i></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Real Madrid (4-3-3): </b>Navas | Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo | Casemiro, Modric, Kroos | Bale, Benzema, Vázquez</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><i>Substitues: Casilla, Varane, Danilo, James Rodríguez, Kovacic, Isco, Jesé</i></p>
https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/2016/4/26/11511786/manchester-city-real-madrid-2016-champions-league-confirmed-lineupsRenatoGoncalves2016-04-26T12:00:03+01:002016-04-26T12:00:03+01:00Man City vs Madrid: How to Watch Online, TV
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<figcaption>Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">It is time for a City to conquer a continent.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Manchester City have already made history after reaching their first ever Champions League semifinals. They start their Final Four campaign on Tuesday against <a href="https://www.managingmadrid.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Real Madrid</a>, and even though the Citizens are nowhere near the favorites to reach the Milan Final, they have all the tools to shock the world.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">For the first leg in Manchester, Real Madrid will probably miss superstar striker <span>Karim Benzema</span> with a knee problem, and the Whites' best player, <span>Cristiano Ronaldo</span>, is also doubtful to play because of injury. Those two issues alone can have a giant effect on Madrid's powerful attack, and the <i>Blancos</i> defense has proven to be shaky sometimes, something that players like Kevin De Bruyne, <span>David Silva</span> and Sergio Agüero can certainly take advantage.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Football is the most amazing sport there is because of moments like this. The biggest winners face the debutantes, and yet we have know idea of the outcome. This is the biggest match in <a href="https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Manchester City's</a> history, and you are crazy if you miss it.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">Match Info</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Date/Time</b>: Tuesday, April 26, 2016, 7:45 local time (UK), 2:45pm ET, 11:45am PT, 12:15am IST (India, next day)</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Venue</b>: City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester, England</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Referee</b>: Cuneyt Çakir</p>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">How to Watch</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>TV</b>: Fox Sports 1 (US), ESPN Deportes (US - Spanish), TSN (Canada), BT Sport Ultra HD, BT Sport Europe (UK), Ten HD, Ten Action (India), <a target="_blank" href="http://www.livesoccertv.com/match/1938312/manchester-city-vs-real-madrid/">more</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Online</b>: FoxSoccer2GO, Fox Sports GO, WatchESPN (US), BT Sport Live Streaming (UK), <a target="_blank" href="http://www.livesoccertv.com/match/1938312/manchester-city-vs-real-madrid/">more</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">(<a target="_blank" href="http://www.livesoccertv.com/match/1938312/manchester-city-vs-real-madrid/">Listings via LiveSoccerTV</a>)</p>
https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/2016/4/26/11503602/manchester-city-real-madrid-2016-live-stream-uefa-champions-league-time-tv-scheduleRenatoGoncalves2016-04-26T10:00:02+01:002016-04-26T10:00:02+01:00Hart: "Ronaldo is a threat"
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<figcaption>Alex Livesey/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p style="text-align: justify;"><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/">Manchester City's</a> goal-stopper is very excited to play his first ever European Cup semifinal.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Goalkeeper <span>Joe Hart</span> spoke about Tuesday's Champions League Final Four match against Real Madrid at Etihad Stadium, and he wants to see a great atmosphere similar to what happened in the last Champions League game in the stadium, when the Citizens defeated PSG thanks to great support from the fans.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Hart said he wants the fans to be as active as they were then, and also analyzed the opposition, especially the talents of superstar striker Cristiano Ronaldo.</p>
<blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>"It was a very special night against PSG and I think all the lads really felt it. </span><span>The explosions and streamers at the start and all the flags – it was pretty special and it really makes a difference – even more so when the games go your way. When the atmosphere is like that and we win, there’s not many better places to play.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>"The dream was to go this far straight away, but the reality is you have to learn along the way. </span><span>"We made a lot of mistakes in the first few years but we’ve improved and grown as a team and for us to be in the Champions League semi-final now is probably just about where we should be given the investment and backing we’ve had, though the truth is that it’s not that easy sometimes.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">"We’re pretty proud we’ve got to the semis but it’s certainly not the end and we don’t want it to be the end.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">"If they get a penalty, I’d like to think I’d do well but I’d rather we had a glitch-free night, win the match without conceding and I have very little to do. That’s a better scenario for me, anyway.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">"As for Ronaldo, we’ve played each other quite a few times. A couple of occasions were when he was a United player plus our two previous meetings with Madrid. He’s definitely in the top two in the world and he’ll be a threat over these two games."</p>
<p style="text-align: right;">Source: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mcfc.co.uk/News/Team-news/2016/April/City-v-Real-Madrid-Joe-Hart-interview/1461590976">MCFC</a></p>
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https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/2016/4/26/11505702/joe-hart-manchester-city-real-madrid-champions-league-interviewRenatoGoncalves