Real Madrid emerged as one of the teams to secure a crucial victory in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League play-offs after a hard-fought battle, edging Manchester City 3-2 in a thrilling encounter.
Other teams that performed well in their first-leg matches included Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, and Borussia Dortmund.
On the night of Tuesday, February 11, 2025, play-off matches took place across various countries for teams that had not yet secured direct qualification to the Round of 16.
The most anticipated match of the night was between Spain’s Real Madrid and England’s Manchester City, with the latter hosting the game at Etihad Stadium.
The game started with high intensity from Real Madrid, despite playing away. Within the first 10 minutes, they had already created several goal-scoring opportunities but failed to capitalize on them.
Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Jr. led Real Madrid’s attack, but their struggles to find the back of the net gave Manchester City a chance to respond. City took the lead in the 19th minute through Erling Haaland, who combined well with Joško Gvardiol before scoring inside the penalty box.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side pushed for an equalizer before halftime, but City’s defense held firm, keeping them ahead as both teams headed into the break.
Real Madrid came into the second half with renewed energy and continued pressing for a goal. Their persistence paid off in the 59th minute when Kylian Mbappé scored the equalizer.
Manchester City responded with more attacking efforts and won a penalty in the 75th minute after Phil Foden was brought down in the box by Federico Valverde. Haaland stepped up and converted from the spot in the 80th minute, restoring City’s lead.
In response, Ancelotti made a key substitution, bringing on Luka Modrić for Dani Ceballos. This change proved crucial as Real Madrid equalized within five minutes through Brahim Díaz, assisted by Vinícius Jr.
As the game entered stoppage time, Jude Bellingham sealed the dramatic win for Real Madrid in the 92nd minute, completing their remarkable comeback.
In another game, Paris Saint-Germain secured a 3-0 victory over Brest, with goals from Vitinha and a brace from Ousmane Dembélé.
Borussia Dortmund dominated Sporting with a 3-0 win, thanks to goals from Serhou Guirassy, Pascal Groß, and Karim Adeyemi. Meanwhile, Juventus secured their first-leg win by defeating their opponents 2-1.
The remaining first-leg play-off matches will see Club Brugge take on Atalanta, Celtic face Bayern Munich, Feyenoord play against AC Milan, and Monaco battle Benfica.
