- Manchester City were dumped out on penalties by Real Madrid at the Etihad
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- Liverpool have been ‘hungover’ since Man United dumped them out of the FA Cup – where has their energy gone? Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Real Madrid advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions League after beating Manchester City 4-3 on penalties at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
Antonio Rudiger struck the decisive spot kick after the game had finished 1-1 through extra time and 4-4 on aggregate.
Rodrygo fired Madrid ahead in the 12th minute with a twice-taken effort from close range to beat City goalkeeper Ederson on the rebound.
City dominated the game from then on with Kevin De Bruyne leveling in the 76th by lifting a shot high into the net from close range.
Mail Sport’s Jack Gaughan takes a look at some of things you may have missed.
Real Madrid advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions League after beating Man City
Real switch hotel
Things are very convivial in the hours before the biggest Champions League ties. The top brass from both sides met for a meal here, sharing stories and thoughts.
City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and Real president Florentino Perez were among the dignitaries to break bread.
There was a common theme: City and Real’s hierarchy were in agreement that this quarter-final felt like a final, telling each other so.
Perez went on to visit Real’s base at the Lowry to wish them luck, with Carlo Ancelotti’s switch of hotels from last year said to be motivated by superstition.
Former referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz returned to the Etihad as a pundit on Wednesday night
Ref is back to haunt Pep
He might well have made his entrance under a sheet given the history with Pep Guardiola, but Antonio Mateu Lahoz was a notable presence around these parts.
Lahoz, 47, retired last season after three decades as a referee and has now found his new — some would say true — calling as a pundit.
Lahoz, who had a number of run-ins with Guardiola, was on duty for Movistar Plus+ and is described as ‘Spain’s answer to Mike Dean’. There can be no higher praise.
Guardiola’s beef with Lahoz came to a head during the 2018 quarter-final against Liverpool when the Catalan confronted the official at half-time.
He was sent off and had to start the next season in the stands.
Real Madrid’s players avoided walking on the Man City crest in the Etihad tunnel
Badge of respect
A respectful bunch, the Real squad.
They all refused to walk over the City badge in the Etihad tunnel on the eve of this game.
You can hardly miss it when jogging out to train on the pitch and they all decided to sidestep it, which is some going because the crest almost spans the width of the walkway.
Real fans wasted no time in Manchester.
If they weren’t drinking at Sinclair’s Oyster Bar then they were moseying around Old Trafford.
They travelled in the game, too — some made it into home areas and stewards intervened when they celebrated the opener.
Foden shows the way to Wembley
A mural of the 192 ‘Wembley Express’ was displayed in the South Stand before the match
Guardiola was driving a bus before this all got going: the 192 ‘Wembley Express’, making its way across the South Stand, a mural with Guardiola in the front and Phil Foden on the side.
The 192 is the bus route from Stockport, from where Foden hails.
It signified the road to Wembley, where this year’s final is being held.
