Wesley Sneijder explains the painful demise of Manchester City


Thursday, May 5, 2022 at 00:14• Mart van Mourik

Real Madrid sensationally qualified for the Champions League final on Wednesday evening at the expense of Manchester City. The Citizens With a 0-1 score it seemed certain of a place in the final, but due to a double hit by substitute Rodrygo in injury time and a goal by Karim Benzema in extra time, the Madrilenians pulled the longest end: 3-1. In ‘s studio RTL 7 Wesley Sneijder explained afterwards the key to Real Madrid’s success and the reason for City’s downfall.

The English went into the return in the Santiago Bernabéu with a 4-3 win from the first game. After Riyad Mahrez’s goal in the 73rd minute of play, the team of manager Josep Guardiola was almost certain of a final ticket, but nothing could be further from the truth. In the ninetieth minute suddenly the Madrid remontada† On a pass from Benzema, Rodrygo scored the equalizer from close range: 1-1. Less than a minute later, the Brazilian also made it 2-1. This time he nodded inside from a cross from Carvajal and a header from Marco Asensio. In extra time, Benzema decided the game with a utilized penalty kick.

Before the return, Sneijder predicted in conversation with Humberto Tan that Real Madrid would qualify for the final battle on May 28 in Paris. “We all know that Real is a team that can come back,” said the former midfielder of the Royal† “After City’s 0-1, I no longer believed in it. But they do send out a signal that we are not giving up. And they showed that belief until the last minute. You see how flashy they come out of the dressing room. They don’t give up, and that is an enormous quality.”

“We are now naming Madrid that is fighting back, but I have not seen a City that really wants to go to the final,” the analyst continued. “Nobody was just standing there at City. That Kevin De Bruyne was substituted says enough, doesn’t it? Perhaps only substitutes Gundogan could play the ball to the right suit. For the rest I have not seen anyone who really wants to go to the final. Neither did Mahrez, because his shot at the goal was the only ball he hit well. They were just too anxious.”