Lasun Alagbe
Man City reduced Real Madrid’s goal merchant, Karim Benzema, to a shadow of himself on Tuesday night when they thrashed the latter 4-0 in their Champions League semi-final match.
The entire Madrid, indeed, got neutralised in most parts of the game as the Guardiola’s boys deployed mastery in all areas of the field and the game.
In the first 20 minutes, City played as if it was 11 against, say, nine.
This was to the extent that their keeper was on holiday throughout the period and he had no cause to struggle too much even thereafter as Madrid players were damn too lame to unleash threats.
City dominated the midfield and ensured they collected the ball almost as soon as their rivals got it.
This cut down the bridge between Madrid’s defence and forward, while the host kept commanding pace as they also distributed the ball with amazing precision.
On the wings, Jack Grealish and Silva proved that it is a fallacy to say that flank-based mobilisation belongs to the past in the business of football; for they initiated brilliant chances with the first dribbling hell into Madrid’s defence.
It is thus a sweet reward when Silva got City’s first two goals with late-comer Alvarez getting the fourth.
The third had resulted from Militio’s deflection of Manuel Akanki’s header.
