04/17/24 05:14:00
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04/17 17:12 CDT Real Madrid beats Man City 4-3 on penalties to advance to the
Champions League semifinals
Real Madrid beats Man City 4-3 on penalties to advance to the Champions League
semifinals
By JAMES ROBSON
AP Soccer Writer
MANCHESTER, England (AP) --- Real Madrid advanced to the semifinals of the
Champions League after beating Manchester 4-3 on penalties at Etihad Stadium on
Wednesday.
Antonio Rudiger struck the decisive spot kick after the game had finished 1-1
through extra time and 4-4 on aggregate.
Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic both saw their penalties saved in the shootout
as defending champion City was eliminated by record 14-time winner Madrid.
Rodrygo fired Madrid ahead in the 12th minute with a twice-taken effort from
close range to beat City goalkeeper Ederson on the rebound.
City dominated the game from then on with Kevin De Bruyne leveling in the 76th
by lifting a shot high into the net from close range.
The match was tied 4-4 on aggregate after the first leg ended 3-3 in Madrid
last week.
City immediately took advantage in the shootout after Julian Alvarez converted
his opening penalty and Luka Modric's effort was saved.
But Madrid keeper Andriy Lunin then saved successive spot kicks from Silva and
Kovacic to swing the balance in the visitors' favor.
Defeat ended City's bid to become the first English team to win back-to-back
Champions League titles and its pursuit of successive trebles. City is still
challenging for the Premier League title and FA Cup.
Victory for Madrid keeps the Spanish giant in the hunt for a record-extending
15th European Cup. It also saw it advance to the semifinals for the fourth year
in row --- denying City the chance to emulate that feat.
But Madrid had to dig in to get past Pep Guardiola's team, which dominated the
majority of the match without managing to add to De Bruyne's second-half goal.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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