Madrid stunned as Man City stage surprise Champions League comeback

Real Madrid fans left the Santiago Bernabeu in disbelief on Wednesday night after Manchester City came from behind to snatch a hard-fought Champions League victory in the league stage.

Rodrygo gave Madrid the early spark in the 28th minute, finishing off a sharp counterattack as City’s defence looked stretched and shaky. For the first half hour, every Real break caused panic in the visitors’ back line.

But the lead didn’t last long.

City equalised seven minutes later through Nico O’Reilly, who reacted fastest inside the box to punish Madrid’s sloppy defending. It was a poetic moment for the young defender, who earlier hesitated in the build-up to Madrid’s opener.

Erling Haaland completed the turnaround before halftime, calmly burying a penalty after VAR confirmed the foul in the area.

From there, Real chased shadows. Despite ending the match with 16 shots, only one was on target—Donnarumma barely broke a sweat as City controlled the tempo.

The Bernabéu faithful were restless at full-time, offering whistles rather than full-blown boos. Real have now lost back-to-back home games, sparking questions about Xabi Alonso’s direction after just two wins in nine matches.

O’Reilly, named Player of the Match, admitted he felt partly responsible for Madrid’s goal but said he was “over the moon” with the win.

City, meanwhile, leave Spain looking solid, composed and fully in charge of their European campaign—another statement performance on the big stage.