Champions League: Real Madrid edge past Manchester City

Champions League: Real Madrid edge past Manchester City
Cristiano Ronaldo's last-minute goal gave Real Madrid a thrilling victory over Manchester City in a highly entertaining Champions League battle at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.Real Madrid had a better start to the game but Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart kept his side in the game with a string of good saves before they took the lead against the run of play through Edin Dzeko's counter attack goal. Marcelo made it all square with a deflected shot but City took the lead again when Aleksandar Kolarov's free-kick found the back of the net. A spectacular end-to-end finale saw Karim Benzema levelling the score again before Crristiano Ronaldo managed to clinch the three points for Real Madrid with a shot that deceived goalkeeper Joe Hart. If Manchester City had won at the Bernabeu, it would have been the first time in Real Madrid's history that they had fallen to defeat in their first home match of the competition. That record now consists of 41 wins and two draws, the most recent of which came against Anderlecht, precisely 50 years ago. Real Madrid took the game to City from the very first minutes and Ronaldo tested Hart right away with a low shot that the keeper did well to save. The England goalie was called into action again on Gonzalo Higuain's header while Khedira and Higuain unbelievably missed the target from close range. However, it was City who took the lead as Yaya Toure charged forward and set up Dzeko who didn't miss the chance to put his side in command. With fresh confidence City almost got a second goal when Tevez set up Toure but the midfielder was unable to provide a decent finish. Mourinho sent in Benzema and Luka Modric at that point and Real Madrid made it all square when Marcelo's shot came off Javi Garcia and flew into the back of the net. Both sides were looking to deliver the fatal blow at that point and Manchester City managed to score in the final 10 minutes when Kolarov's tricky free kick cross beat the whole defence plus the keeper. Real Madrid provided an instant reply though as Benzema turned defender Matija Nastasic before firing into the bottom corner. With regular time almost over, Real Madrid found the winning goal through their biggest star, Cristiano Ronaldo, whose shot sent the ball past Joe Hart, who was masked by a defender though and was unable to react in time to stop the ball from rolling into the back of the net. Bet365 offer 7/2 odds for Real Madrid to win the Champions League this season, while Manchester City are priced at 12/1.
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