MANCHESTER City produced a near-perfect performance tonight at the Etihad Stadium to beat Real Madrid 4-0 and advance to the UEFA Champions League final.
The Premier League champions won the semi-final 5-1 on aggregate having held Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Madrid last week.
Bernardo Silva scored twice tonight, Julian Alvarez was also on target and Eder Militao scored an own goal as Pep Guardiola’s side cruised to their second Champions League final in three seasons.
The hosts were utterly dominant in the first half and would have been out of sight by half-time if not for Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois’ magnificent saves.
The Belgian shot stopper saved brilliantly from Erling Haaland twice but was helpless when Silva rifled into the net from inside the box in the 23rd minute.
The diminutive Portugal midfielder doubled City’s lead eight minutes before half-time, heading into a gaping net from a rebound.
Real Madrid put up more resistance after the break and posed more threat but City held firm.
Militao deflected Manuel Akanji’s header into his own net in the 76th to take the game away from Real Madrid, and substitute Alvarez finished the Spaniards off in stoppage time with a smart strike off Phil Foden’s clever assist.
The Champions League final is the second City will be playing this season after reaching the FA Cup final where they will face Manchester United.
Guardiola’s side are on course for the treble as they are currently on top of the Premier League, which they could win on Sunday if they beat Chelsea.
