A brutal start for Man City! Bernardo Silva sees red and Pep Guardiola gets booked as Vinicius Jr converts penalty to extend Real Madrid lead

The Etihad Stadium was stunned into silence after just 20 minutes when Bernardo Silva was shown a straight red card in a moment of pure chaos. Real Madrid, already leading 3-0 on aggregate from the first leg, broke forward with devastating speed when Vinicius Jr raced behind the City backline and struck the post with a fierce right-footed effort. As the ball stayed in play, the Brazilian followed up his own shot, but his goalbound effort was blocked on the line by the arm of Silva.

Refereeing officials took their time to review the incident via VAR, checking both a potential offside in the build-up and the handball itself. Ultimately, the decision was terminal for Pep Guardiola’s side. The handball was deemed deliberate, resulting in a dismissal for the Portuguese international and a penalty for the visitors. 

With the pressure mounting, Vinicius stepped up to the spot and showed no nerves, coolly converting the penalty in the 22nd minute to give Real Madrid a 1-0 lead on the night and a massive 4-0 advantage on aggregate. It was a hammer blow for a City side that had actually started the contest with significant intent, racking up four shots in the opening ten minutes as they looked to stage an improbable comeback.

The goal felt like the final nail in the coffin for the Premier League champions, who now faced the impossible task of scoring four goals with a man disadvantage.

Despite Haaland’s equaliser before the break, the mood at the Etihad shifted from hope to frustration, with the home supporters regularly voicing their displeasure at Thibaut Courtois for his perceived time-wasting tactics and the referee for the game-changing decision against Silva.

Shortly after Vinicius converted from the spot, Guardiola approached the fourth official in protest, resulting in a yellow card for the manager in a tumultuous few minutes for the home team.