Manchester City held Real Madrid in a pulsating 1-1 draw in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal, played on Tuesday at the Santiago Bernabeu. 

The game, which is the repeat of last season’s semifinal clash between both sides that ended in a 6-5 aggregate win for the Los Blancos, did not disappoint with what was on display at Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday evening.

 While Real Madrid went into the game with a focus on finishing the season strong with a UEFA Champions League win after La Liga went beyond their grasp, Manchester City knew it id just one of their next steps in their bid to win a treble this season.

However, Real Madrid produced a spectacular team play in the 36th minute, which was finished off by Vinicius Junior to open the scoring. Manchester City equalized in the 67th minute with a brilliant goal from Kevin De Bruyne to keep both teams level ahead of next week’s second leg at Etihad Stadium.

Before the second leg, Real Madrid and Manchester City will complete their local League assignments as Carlo Ancelotti’s men face Getafe while Manchester City travel to Everton.

Meanwhile, the action continues on Wednesday as the two Milan clubs, inter and AC, clash in the second semifinal at the San Siro.

Hopefully, the football will be the headline at the end of 90 and 180 minutes of the two legs, as the last time both times met in the UEFA Champions League ended in a fracas that saw the game abandoned and awarded in favour of AC Milan in 2005.

AC Milan’s trip to the semifinal had newly-crowned Italian Seria A champions Napoli who they defeated 2-1 on aggregate in the quarterfinals after a 1-0 win in the first leg at the San Siro followed by a 1-1 draw in the second leg at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

For Inter Milan, they had to see off Portuguese club Benfica in the quarterfinal in a goal fest 5-3 on aggregate.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu