Real Madrid eliminated 10-a-side Manchester City from the Champions League for the fourth time in five seasons as the Spanish giants won 5-1 on aggregate with a 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium.
City needed to make history by overturning a 3-0 first-leg deficit against the 15-time European champions, but their difficult task was made impossible on Tuesday when captain Bernardo Silva was shown an early red card for handling the ball in his own half.
Vinicius Junior equalized with a spot goal as City left for Madrid for the third year in a row.
Erling Haaland scored City’s equalizer before half-time, but Vinicius won the match with what was effectively the final kick of the ball.
Despite failing to perform convincingly in La Liga, City’s quest for Champions League glory once again stalled as Madrid proved they had a knack for being at their best in the competition’s final stages.
Manager Alvaro Arbeloa can afford to keep Kylian Mbappé on the bench as he returns from injury, while Jude Bellingham could also be fit back in time for the quarter-finals against Bayern Munich.
City needed a quick start to have a chance of becoming the first team to overturn a three-goal deficit against Madrid in European competition, but within a minute they looked like they were falling further behind.
Federico Valverde became an unlikely hero for Real last week when he scored the first hat-trick of his career.
The Uruguayan had an easier chance than any of his three goals at the Santiago Bernabéu seven days earlier, but his shot from midfield went wide before meekly slotting into the arms of Gianluigi Donnarumma.
City briefly looked like they might equalize, but they faced a familiar foe in Thibaut Courtois.
The giants’ Belgian goalkeeper deflected shots from Rayan Cherki and Rodri, and City’s hopes were dashed by the threat of Madrid’s counterattack.
Vinicius had been flagged for offside in the build-up, but his shot was deflected wide by Silva’s left arm.
However, a VAR review found the Brazilian was onside, leaving referee Clement Turpin with little choice but to dismiss the City captain and point to the penalty spot.
Donnarumma saved Vinicius’ penalty in the first leg, but this time it was sent from the spot in the opposite direction.
Vinicius should have added many more to his 15 goals this season as City pushed forward and were left exposed at the back.
Twice Donnarumma was the only one to hit shots on target and break it before half-time.
Haaland currently has 43 goals for club and country, but has scored just twice from open play in his last 18 games.
Even when the Norwegian equalized, it was a misshot as he fired past Courtois from Jeremy Doku’s cross.
Courtois was unable to reappear in the second half, but substitute Andriy Lunin twice denied Haaland a double.
Both teams had two goals ruled out for offside, but Vinicius eventually earned a count when he slotted home Aurélien Choameny’s cross deep in stoppage time.
Arbeloa said the quarter-finals against Bayern Munich will be very tough.
“We are progressing and we know that if we want to have a chance to beat Bayern Munich we have to be a team and all work together, be very narrow and compact and show a lot of dedication,” he said on Amazon Prime.
“Obviously, Bayern Munich will be really difficult.”
City’s Jeremy Dok said the defeat was difficult to accept.
“The harsh reality is, when you watch the game, it doesn’t feel like they were that much better than us. When you look at the score, it feels like it’s obvious, but it’s not,” he told Amazon.
In Tuesday’s other match, Paris Saint-Germain added Kviča Kvaratschelia to the scorers for a 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge, ending Chelsea’s chances of a comeback and advancing to the Champions League quarter-finals with an 8-2 aggregate win.
The Georgian’s early opener was quickly followed by a superb strike from Bradley Barcola, and Chelsea’s hopes of overturning a 5-2 deficit from the first leg of last week’s last-16 tie were quickly dashed.
Substitute Seny Mayur then scored PSG’s third goal in the second half as Luis Enrique’s side look to advance to the last eight next month against either Liverpool or Galatasaray. The Turkish side head to Anfield with a 1-0 advantage in Wednesday’s first leg.
Arsenal’s Ebelesi Eze opened the Champions League with a stunning goal as they beat Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 at home on Tuesday to reach the quarter-finals with a 3-1 aggregate victory.
Leverkusen managed to fend off Arsenal’s barrage in the opening 30 minutes thanks to some work from keeper Janis Blasovic, but Eze screamed from outside the area in the 37th minute to end an awkward tie in the last 16.
The tireless Declan Rice made it 2-0 by the hour mark with a precise low finish. Leverkusen ended Arsenal’s 100 per cent record in this season’s competitions, but never threatened a comeback, although a 1-1 draw in last week’s first leg was better.
Premier League leaders Arsenal will face Portugal’s Sporting Lisbon, who defeated Bodo/Glimt, the surprise team of the season, 3-0 in their first match in Norway, 5-0 in extra time.
