How Real Madrid players celebrated the historical knockout vs Manchester City – revealed | OneFootball

In a thrilling quarterfinal showdown, Antonio Rudiger calmly slotted home a penalty during the shootout, securing a 4-3 victory for Real Madrid over Manchester City after a tense 4-4 aggregate draw across both matches.

Despite Manchester City’s strong performance throughout both legs, particularly in the second, Real Madrid’s pedigree as 14-time Champions League winners shone.

The team from the Spanish capital showcased their knack for getting the job done, even against formidable opponents like Guardiola’s treble-winning City side.

It must be remembered that just a year prior, City had convincingly defeated Real 4-0 in the semifinals en route to clinching their maiden Champions League title against Inter Milan.

This victory suggested a potential shift in European football’s power dynamics, with City potentially eclipsing the traditional giants.

However, while City have risen as the dominant force in English football, surpassing historically successful clubs, conquering the Champions League remains a daunting challenge, highlighting the tournament’s unforgiving nature compared to domestic competitions.

This was the case on Wednesday night as despite being branded as the second favourites, Madrid defied the odds to book a place in the semi-final.

Real Madrid player reactions

Naturally, players were ecstatic and many of them expressed their joy by taking to social media. David Alaba, who is set to miss the season through ACL rupture, was screaming and shouting after the game, as he celebrated his team’s win from home.

Joselu took to Instagram, posting a picture with match hero Andriy Lunin and Lucas Vazquez.

Aurelien Tchouameni, who missed the game through suspension, posted a subtle story and so did Lunin, although he also wrote, “I love my team.”

Vinicius Jr, on the other hand, sent a couple of messages, saying, “You already know: REAL MADRID!!!”

“Here we go among the 4 best teams in Europe!!! Once again!!! It seems easy.”

Eder Militao was in disbelief as he said, “This Real Madrid makes no sense.”

Meanwhile, Federico Valverde dedicated his MotM trophy to the entire team.