Real Madrid Stuns Manchester City with Late Goals

Real Madrid's Christiano Ronaldo celebrates his game-winning goal in their comeback win over Manchester City. (Pierre-Philippe Marcou)

In the UEFA Champions League group stage, it could be argued that no team could use a big win more than the two powerhouses pitted in this matchup. Manchester City, the reigning English Premier League champions, got off to a rough start in its title defense. Despite winning both of their home games, they have had to settle for draws in their two road matches, the latter coming at Stoke City. With expectations high as ever this season, that simply isn't going to cut it with management and the supporters.

Real Madrid, a perennial  European football power, has struggled to begin their season as well. Through four La Liga games, they are a mere 1-2-1. Losses to teams like Getafe and Sevilla are unheard of for Real Madrid. With the star power they have throughout their roster, European dominance is expected from the Spanish side.

As Manchester City and Real Madrid took the field for a Champions League group stage match, both knew the importance of getting off to a good start. While both teams racked up great scoring opportunities throughout the first half, a common problem continued to plague both sides. Neither one could find a way to score the goals they ought to.

On the road, Manchester City was more than happy to sit back and defend. They would focus on using the counterattack to generate their scoring opportunities. Their strategy paid off in the 68th minute. Yaya Toure gained control of the ball and cut through the heart of the Real Madrid. He found substitute Edin Dzeko for the easy finish. Just like that, the visitors led 1-0.

That lead didn't last long. With Real Madrid pressing forward, Marcelo cut inside with the ball. He let a shot rip that was deflected off Manchester City's Javi Garcia and past goalkeeper Joe Hart for the equalizer. However, with the game winding to a close, it was the visitors who earned a free kick in the attacking third. Man City's Aleksandar Kolarov's kick curled through the box and into the net to put them back in the lead.

Even though there was only four minutes remaining in the game, there was still enough time for an attacking team like Real Madrid to answer. In the 87th minute, Madrid's Karim Benzema drove the ball into the box from the flank. His beautifully struck shot beat Hart for the equalizer. Suddenly, things were level pegging once again. However, the attacks didn't stop there as play went back and forth from end to end.

In stoppage time, Real Madrid tried to piece together one last strong attack. Christiano Ronaldo found an opening and let a long shot rip. It dipped dramatically as it traveled and scurried under the outstretched arms of Hart. As the final whistle blew, Real Madrid had come all the back to secure victory for themselves.

By scoring two goals in the last four minutes, Real Madrid dramatically changed the outcome of their match and group's momentum. They will look to build off this victory with sustained high levels of play. This is another disappointing result for Manchester City. After struggling last season in the Champions League, they need to try and put this defeat behind them as quickly as possible.

Manchester City Wins First Premier Title Since 1968

Photo Credit: Dave Thompson/AP Photo

Manchester City has been considered to be the second-rate team of their city for decades. They have had to live in the shadow of their bitter rival, Manchester United. Today, Manchester City needed a win over Queens Park Rangers. If they won the match, it would mean that they would win their first Premier League Title since 1968. Not only would they win it, but they would keep their inner-city rival, Manchester United, from winning the title. With United's 1-0 defeat of Sunderland in the books, City knew they were playing a must-win game.

Neither Manchester City or Queens Park Rangers played particularly well in the first-half. In the 39th minute, City pieced together some nice passing to set up a short angle shot for Pablo Zabaleta. The Argentinian's shot found the net, thanks in part to some poor goalkeeping work by Patrick Kenny. The lackluster half came to a close, but at half-time, QPR received news that a loss could potentially mean relegation from the Premier League. Wanting desperately to avoid that fate, QPR came out with a renewed energy to begin the second half. It didn't take long before that energy forced a mistake by City's defender Joleon Lescott. Lescott attempted to head the ball clear, but his header ricocheted backwards to the feet of QPR's Djibril Cisse, who buried the equalizer.

With the match still level at 1-1, Man City caught a break when QPR's captain, Joey Barton, got issued a red card in the 55th minute for elbowing Carlos Tevez in the face. Despite being down to ten men, QPR's defense refused to give in. In the 66th minute, QPR was rewarded when an unmarked Jamie Mackie headed home a ball from Armand Traore. The panic began to set in for City and their fans as they felt the title slipping away. Into stoppage time, they went still down 2-1. About a minute into stoppage time, City earned a corner. David Silva's beautiful ball into the box found the head of Edin Dzeko, who finished in cleanly. City's late heroics weren't over yet. Forward Sergio Aguero's shot found the bottom right corner. City's improbable comeback was complete.

The two late goals secured Manchester City's first Premier League Title since 1968. Granted that some of this success is due to the money that was spent to bring in many of these players. Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour has made more than a $1 billion dollar investment since purchasing the club from former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2008. The real credit though has to go to the players. In what was a crazy and surprising Premier League season, Man City was the most consistent club by far. As a result, they are unquestionably the most deserving of the title. The atmosphere of Manchester, England has changed today. No longer does United remain forever supreme. Today belongs to City's players, coaches, fans, and everyone associated with the club.

UEFA Champions League Group Action Reaction - 11/23/11

Following today's matches, all teams in the UEFA Champions League have played five of their six matches in group play. Here is some of the notable scores from the past few days:

Napoli 2 Manchester City 1 (Group A)

You might remember I blogged about Manchester City's early success three weeks ago (http://fireawayblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-good-is-manchester-city.html). I mentioned for them to be considered among the cream of the crop in Europe they would have to succeed in the UEFA Champions League. Well, they struggled once again. Manchester City controlled the majority of possession (70%), but struggled to put the ball in the net. They had 17 shots, including 8 shots on goal, and 5 corners. However, they only scored once. On the other hand, Napoli forward Edinson Cavani didn't seem to have the same problem. The Uruguayan striker scored twice. Bayern Munich has already clinched its spot in the Final 16 as the group's winner. Following this result, Napoli currently sits in 2nd with 8 points, while Manchester City is third with 7. This means that for Man City to advance they have to beat Bayern Munich in their final game. They also would need winless Villarreal to win or tie against Napoli.

Trabzonspor 1 Internazionale 1 (Group B)

Inter Milan got the tie they needed in this match, which combined with Lille's 2-0 victory over CSKA Moscow, sends them into the Final 16 as the guaranteed group winner. Trabzonspor outshot Inter 22-9, but Brasilian keeper Julio Cesar reminded viewers why he is one of the best in the world. Trabzonspor is in 2nd with 6 points, while Lille and CSKA Moscow now are tied with 5. This means that it will come down to the final group games, as any of these three can advance. Trabzonspor plays Lille and advances automatically with a win. CSKA Moscow plays Inter.

Manchester United 2 Benfica 2 (Group C)

Manchester United stumbled in this one at Old Trafford. United overcame an early own goal with 2 goals of their own. In the 59th minute, Darren Fletcher put them in the lead 2-1. However, one minute later Pablo Aimar scored the equalizer. Both these teams remain tied for the lead in the group with 9 points, but FC Basel is right there with 8. Benfica has to like their odds in their final match against Otelul Galati, who has lost all five of their games. This means that the key final matchup will be the big one between Manchester United and FC Basel. It would be shocker if United failed to advance.

Lyon 0 Ajax Amsterdam 0 (Group D)

With Real Madrid (5-0-0) advancing after dominating the group, Lyon and Ajax knew they were battling to be the second team to advance from the group. Both teams had some great opportunities, but the game ended in a scoreless draw. Thanks in large part to two stellar saves by Kenneth Vermeer late, Ajax maintained their 3 point edge over Lyon in the group standings. Ajax will advance with at least a tie against Real Madrid. Lyon will need to score a lot of goals in a win over last place Dinamo Zagreb and an Ajax loss to have a shot at advancing.

Bayer Leverkusen 2 Chelsea 1 (Group E)

Chelsea knew what they needed to do in this game. They needed to take care of business like they should and pick up a win. They were on their way to this when Didier Drogba put them up 1-0. It seemed bad enough when they let Eren Derdiyok score the equalizer in the 73rd minute. Then, in stoppage time, Manuel Friedrich scored the shocking winning goal. Bayer Leverkusen is now in first place in the group and will advance with a mere draw against winless Racing Genk, who lost 7-0 to Valencia. Valencia now holds the goal differential edge over Chelsea. This means that Chelsea would need either a win or a scoreless draw against Valencia in their final match to advance.

Olympiakos 1 Marseille 0 (Group F)

While most of the talk is about Arsenal advancing as the group winners, this result had the most affect on the rest of the group. Olympiakos now has a shot of advancing thanks to a goal in the 82nd minute by substitute Ioannis Fetfatzidis. The sub scored just seven minutes after coming on the pitch. Marseille remains in second with 7 points. Picking up their second win, Olympiakos is now third with 6 points. Borussia Dortmund have 4 points and still has a slim chance of advancing. They would need a victory over Marseille to have a chance. Olympiakos needs at least a tie against Arsenal. Any of these three teams are capable of advancing.

Zenit St Petersburg 0 Apoel Nicosia 0 (Group G)

Apoel Nicosia knew they would advance with a draw, so they decided to play defensively from the onset. That is the way it remained the whole game as they only had 2 shots the whole game. Zenit St Petersburg did all they could to score as they fired 23 shots, had 8 of those on goal, and 10 corners. With the scoreless draw, Apoel Nicosia became the first Cypriot team to advance. This means that the group's decisive final game between Zenit St Petersburg and FC Porto will determine which of the two will advance. Zenit holds a one point edge in the standings, which means that FC Porto will need a win to advance.

Barcelona 3 AC Milan 2 (Group H)

This was the premier match people wanted to watch. After a 2-2 draw in the last matchup back in September, what would happen in this one? Mark Van Bommel's own goal put Barcelona up to start. In the 20th minute, Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the equalizer against his old side. Lionel Messi put Barca back on top following a somewhat questionable penalty kick call. Kevin-Prince Boateng tied it up once again in the 54th minute. In the 63rd minute, Messi had a beautiful run to setup Xavi for the winning goal for Barca. Barcelona wins the group as both sides advance to the Final 16 in what was a well-played game by both sides.

How good is Manchester City?

Manchester City has been trying to establish itself as a football power in Europe. The team has has spent most of the season atop the Premier League table. Tonight was another step in this direction as they convincingly beat Villarreal 3-0 in the first stage of the 2011 Champions League. Yaya Toure led the attack, scoring twice.

Manchester City began the Premier season looking good, but there loss to Bayern Munich on September 27 seemed to reveal that they weren't quite ready for the top competition of Europe. They bounced back with two solid Premier wins, before facing their next Champions League foe, Villarreal. They won the first meeting 2-1.

On October 23, Manchester City had a Premier showdown with archrival Manchester United at Old Trafford. City proceeded to demolish United 6-1. City recorded only their second win at Old Trafford since 1974, and inflicted United's first home defeat since April 2010 and ended their run of 19 consecutive home league wins.

Including its win tonight, Manchester City is 7-0 since the loss to Bayern Munich. One player to watch is Italian Mario Balotelli. He has thrived as a new addition to the team, but has had a history of off-field issues. Here are some games to keep an eye on coming up for Manchester City as they continue Premier and Champions League play:

Nov 19	10:00 ET	Manchester City	v	Newcastle United	Etihad Stadium	Premier League
Nov 22	2:45 ET	Napoli	v	Manchester City	San Paolo	Champions League (2011 First Phase)

Dec 7	2:45 ET	Manchester City	v	Bayern Munich	Etihad Stadium	Champions League (2011 First Phase)
Dec 12	3:00 ET	Chelsea	v	Manchester City	Stamford Bridge	Premier League

These games will help to show how good Manchester City really is. Are they ready to be among the elite clubs in Europe. Stay tuned to these games and this blog to find out.

Read more about Man City's victory over Man U on October 23 here: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report/_/id/317936?cc=5901
Read more about Man City's Mario Balotelli here: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/feature/_/id/977685/mario-balotelli:-a-world-all-his-own?cc=5901
Read more about Man City's win today over Villarreal here: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report/_/id/331166?cc=5901