Man City 2-3 Real Madrid: Jude Bellingham scores late winner after Erling Haaland's brace to hand Spanish giants the advantage in blockbuster Champions League tie

Manchester City started the match with a rebuke to the 15-times champions of Europe. A giant flag was passed along the fans behind one of the goals that showed Rodri kissing the Ballon d’Or. The message on the tifo reminded Real Madrid that they had boycotted the ceremony in a fit of pique because Vinicius Jr had not won. ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out,’ the slogan said. It was a high-risk strategy, given City’s inconsistency.

And when the final whistle went, the scoreboard told of a 3-2 win for the visitors and Madrid were not crying any more. City had twice blown improbable leads and saw their former player Brahim Diaz snatch the second of his team’s equalisers in the 86th minute. And then, deep into time added on, Jude Bellingham ran on to Vinicius Junior’s lob over Ederson and touched the ball into the empty net. It was City’s turn to lament their fate and curse another setback in this most difficult of seasons.

Two goals from Erling Haaland, his first strikes against Madrid, had looked as if they would send City to the Bernabeu next Wednesday with a slender advantage but Madrid always looked like the team with more class and they made it pay in the end. Much has been made of the injuries that City have suffered this season but if there was a solitary reason for any sort of optimism among their fans before the kick-off, it was that Madrid had also been plunged into what their coach, Carlo Ancelotti, called ‘an emergency situation’.

Jude Bellingham stepped up in the 92nd minute to score the winner for Real Madrid. Brahim Diaz had equalised just six minutes earlier but refused to celebrate against his old club. Erling Haaland scored twice but it was not enough to stop City being beaten at the Etihad. Real came into the first leg missing key defenders Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba, Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal while Lucas Vázquez, who had been deputising at right-back, was also ruled out with a hamstring injury.

So Federico Valverde started at right back and defensive midfielder Aurélien Tchouameni was chosen again in central defence alongside Raúl Asencio, the young academy graduate who has only made 21 appearances for the first team. City seemed in rude health by comparison although there was, of course, no Rodri. Nor was there any chance for Kyle Walker, who has moved on loan to AC Milan, to renew his compelling rivalry with Vinicius Jr. Walker’s pace got City out of trouble against the quicksilver Madrid forward time after time in the past.

The opening exchanges were even but after ten minutes, Madrid suddenly burst into brilliant, vibrant life. Vinicius Jr nutmegged Ruben Dias on the half way line and then curled a magnificent pass into the path of Mbappe. Mbappe ran on to it but his stinging shot was kept out by a fine, diving save from Ederson. Madrid were alive with stepovers and bad intentions now and Rodrygo dinked a beautiful pass behind the City defence and into the area for Ferland Mendy to run on to. Real tried to walk it in but Nathan Ake threw himself in the way of Mendy’s shot and the chance was lost.

Vini Jr was caught in a City sandwich between Ake and Manuel Akanji but the referee waved away his appeals for a penalty. And just when it seemed it was only a matter of time until Madrid scored, City scored instead. It was a fine goal, too. Haaland held the ball up midway inside the Real half and laid it back to Jack Grealish. Grealish floated a delicate pass over the Real defence, Josko Gvardiol chested it down and Haaland lifted it past Thibaut Courtois.

Real tried to shrug the setback aside. Vini Jr hit the bar with a curling shot and City were dealt a blow when Grealish was forced off with an injury after half an hour. He was replaced by Phil Foden. Kylian Mbappe scored Madrid's first equaliser as the ball spun off his shin and past Ederson. Phil Foden was brought down by Dani Ceballos and Erling Haaland smashed home the subsequent penalty to put City back in front but they could not hold on.

Foden made an immediate impact. He cut inside his man on the edge of the Madrid area and unleashed a rising left-foot shot that Courtois tipped over. From Kevin de Bruyne’s corner, Akanji glanced a header on to the top of the bar. All the confidence had drained out of Madrid and City, marshalled by Stones, were controlling play. Only at the end of the half did the visitors recover their poise. Mbappe curled a shot high over the bar when he ought to have scored.

City started the second half strongly. Haaland’s shot spun off the leg of Eduardo Camavinga and spiralled over Courtois on to the face of the bar but then Madrid stepped up their search for an equaliser. Vini Jr accelerated past Rico Lewis, who had come on for Akanji at half time, and cut back a driven cross to Jude Bellingham, who headed wide. A couple of minutes later, Ederson saved well from a near-post Mbappe snap-shot.