SOMETHING changed last year in the Champions League. While Real Madrid had greeted City in the spring of 2023 as another prey to devour, their humbling at the Etihad left them hurt and anxious ahead of their quarter-final reunion.
The club that has dominated European football for so much of the last decade were nervous when Pep Guardiola's side sought to slay them again.
They were right to be nervous, for the Blues more than played their part in another pulsating tie that cemented the position of the two sides as the best in Europe.
A thrilling 3-3 draw in Madrid that ebbed and flowed in the first leg was followed by a frenetic 1-1 game where City threw kitchen sink and all at Real after conceding early but could only manage a late equaliser before losing on penalties.
Once again, the competition followed Guardiola's mantra that if you want to win the competition you have to beat Real.
City's rise in the European standings is an enormous achievement, and, heading into the new campaign, they sit top of the UEFA rankings yet again.
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