Watch: Erling Haaland opens the scoring with a sublime finish, Manchester City lead 1-0 at half-time

The UEFA Champions League knockout playoff round was poised for an electrifying encounter as Manchester City took on Real Madrid at the Etihad for their round of 16 showdown.

Real Madrid arrived at the match charged up after a challenging stretch of their season. Following their hard-fought 1-1 draw in a critical derby against Atlético, the team with star players Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Rodrygo intended to dismantle the City defence, which had shown vulnerabilities recently. Manchester City stood on the brink of elimination from the Champions League but secured their place in the knockout rounds with a vital victory over Club Brugge in their final group match. 

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Erling Haaland leads the way for Manchester City 

In the 11th minute, Manchester City narrowly avoided conceding a penalty to Real Madrid. Valverde played a pass to Vinicius, who made a run behind the City defence and entered the penalty area. He was brought down by Ederson, prompting the referee to point to the penalty spot. However, the assistant referee had raised his flag, signalling that Vinicius was in an offside position.

In the thirteenth minute, Manchester City almost conceded again, this time from open play. Rodrygo found Mendy, who swiftly executed a one-two with Vinicius, enabling the French full-back to break behind Ederson. He unleashed a powerful shot towards the bottom corner from just a few yards out, but Ake threw himself in front of the ball, denying what should have been a certain goal.

Erling Haaland is a machine in front of goal.

Sublime finishing 🤯

pic.twitter.com/8nVML7cRVV

— Lea (@Lea_EFC) February 11, 2025

In the nineteenth minute, Erling Haaland finally broke the deadlock for the hosts. He capitalized on Gvardiol's chest down, receiving a beautifully clipped ball from the left flank, and thundered it into the back of the net.

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