Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola endured a stressful night as his side prevailed 4-3 in a thrilling Champions League semi-final first leg clash against Real Madrid.
The Citizens raced into a 2-0 lead inside 11 minutes at the Etihad Stadium. Kevin De Bruyne put them ahead in the second minute. Riyad Mahrez produced a superb cross which the Belgian diverted beyond Thibaut Courtois.
Gabriel Jesus then took advantage of a fortunate deflection off David Alaba inside the area to slot the ball into the bottom corner.
Real Madrid, however, were not going to let the tie slip away from them. On 33 minutes, Karim Benzema volleyed home Ferland Mendy’s cross.
City added a third early in the second half through Phil Foden. But there was plenty more drama to come. Vinicius Junior scored one of the solo goals of the season to reduce the deficit before Bernardo Silva then restored City’s two-goal advantage.
There was still time for another moment of magic, however. Real won a penalty, which Benzema slotted home with an incredible Panenka. Given the Frenchman recently missed two penalties in a La Liga game against Osasuna, the feat was even more impressive.
Out of the other six goals, there was one particular piece of play that caught the eyes of fans.
Vinicius scores an incredible solo goal
Real Madrid’s second goal came courtesy of Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian had already netted two goals and provided six assists in this season’s Champions League. However, this was arguably his finest moment.
With his back to goal on the halfway line, the 21-year-old received a pass from Ferland Mendy.
As the ball approached, he flicked it behind him, jinxed towards the touchline and sprinted off in the other direction. He dummied Fernandinho and left the City captain grasping at thin air in the process.
From there, Vinicius’s pace and finishing ability did the rest. He hurtled into the box before calmly placing the ball beyond Ederson in the City goal.
It was a remarkable piece of footballing skill from Vinicius, and something that brought an animated reaction out of Pep Guardiola.
Pep Guardiola reacts to Vinicius dummy
A Manchester City fan behind the dugout caught priceless footage (via Reddit) of the insane piece of skill as it happened.
Guardiola starts the clip in a familiar pose – arms crossed, watching the action unfold. But as soon as Vinicius completes the dummy on Fernandinho, the Spaniard puts his hands to his head in despair.
Sensing what was about to unfold, Guardiola sinks to his knees before watching helplessly as the Real forward reduces his side’s deficit to one goal.
It is an iconic clip, and one that shows the range of emotions that football managers go through during 90 minutes.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
