The last two goals of an epic game made it nine conceded overall by City in the last 16 minutes of Champions League games this season, and now Pep Guardiola’s team are close to elimination.
As the empire frays at the edges, the manner of their struggle in the Champions League this season has taken on a familiar rhythm for Manchester City – and there is no more dangerous opponent once a vulnerability has been exposed than the great European team of this era, Real Madrid.
Elimination next week would be the third time in four years Real have propelled City out the Champions League, and the gap seems to be widening.
Amid the tallying of more late goals conceded, it was possible to overlook the point that despite some heroic individual performances for City, Real looked like a much sleeker, dangerous attacking side.
At the Bernabéu next Wednesday they must rescue this play-off tie against a team so dangerous on the counter-attack that the old principles of control and structure that have sustained the Pep Guardiola years at City would be taken to the limits in any circumstances.
