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The previous Champions League quarter-final to go to a penalty shootout was so long ago, it featured a player who is now 53 years old.
Before you all shout out the answer at once, yes, it was Dutch midfielder Phillip Cocu (most recently seen on our screens guiding Derby County to the bottom of the Championship) playing for PSV Eindhoven against Lyon in April 2005. Both legs finished 1-1 and PSV won the shootout 4-2, before losing to AC Milan on away goals in the semis.
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Others to play in that tie include Mark van Bommel, Gregory Coupet and a 22-year-old Michael Essien. Yes, it was some time ago.
Anyway, if it is to be another 19 years until the next one, we should savour the twists, turns and fans ruining their own player’s concentration of Manchester City vs Real Madrid last night.
A penalty shootout to forget for Man City 🫣#UCL pic.twitter.com/heNbuZbabd
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 17, 2024
It is City’s first shootout in the Champions League, because they normally score at least three goals per match and in doing so win comfortably. Madrid’s most recent one came in the 2016 final, in which they beat city rivals Atletico 5-3. The only player involved in that shootout who is back for more tonight? Lucas Vazquez. More on him in a bit.
The coin toss goes City’s way, not once but twice. Captain Kyle Walker beats Nacho and elects for the penalties to be taken in front of the Etihad’s North Stand — the opposite end to where Madrid’s away fans are. And Walker also chooses that City will take the first penalty, which, statistically speaking, gives them a slight advantage.
City penalty 1 – Julian Alvarez
For someone who played in a World Cup final 16 months ago, Alvarez looks incredibly nervous, like a guy who is about to propose to his partner but he does not have a clue what their answer is going to be.
He walks up to the spot briskly, but without the ball — always a crucial object in the taking of a penalty kick.
While Alvarez waits, referee Daniele Orsato delays things further by having the usual chat with the two goalkeepers about not jumping off their lines.
Alvarez exhales, he still looks tense, Orsato blows his whistle… three seconds pass… then he unleashes a beauty of a penalty into the right side of the net that asks, ‘What were you all worried about?’. A fist-pump of relief; 1-0 City.
Madrid penalty 1 — Luka Modric
In contrast, Modric looks unfazed as he strides briskly to the penalty area like he is popping to the shops in the morning to buy some milk.
The boos are plentiful, Ederson has his arms outstretched in that way ’keepers do to make themselves look bigger, a tactic stolen from the cat world. But Modric is 38, this is his 525th game for Madrid. No panic. He’s been there, done that and is so old he probably bought the Bros T-shirt.
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But hang on, Modric goes bottom left and so does Ederson — it’s a strong right hand, a good save of a decent penalty. There is no big celebration from Ederson. From Modric, there is a flailing of his right hand and he shouts a word, probably ‘Sranje!‘.
Before he exits stage left, Modric has one final part to play in this shootout… in frustration, he hoofs the loose ball left-footed high above the bar, into the North Stand.
Where two fans grab hold of it.
City penalty 2 — Bernardo Silva
There’s no football. Bernardo has his arms outstretched in the universal body language for ‘WTF?’. So does the referee. The ball is still in the North Stand, and whichever City fan has it isn’t giving it back.
After a few more seconds, it is lobbed onto the pitch and Bernardo jogs over to retrieve it. He looks stressed.
The average time for all other penalties in this shootout between the previous one being scored/saved and Orsato blowing his whistle for the following kick to be taken is 36 seconds. Between Modric’s penalty being saved and Bernardo taking his, there is a wait of 60 seconds — aka, almost double the others.
Is it this lengthy wait that causes Bernardo to produce one of the worst penalties seen in major shootouts in the modern era? We can only speculate and/or decide whether to give the Portugal international an excuse.
But history won’t remember the delay. History will just remember him hitting a Panenka straight at ‘keeper Andriy Lunin, who neither flinches nor moves as he simply catches the ball that has been kicked directly into his hands.
Madrid’s substitute goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga had told Lunin to stay in the middle for Bernardo’s penalty, because the Portuguese shot there (and scored) against him in the 2019 League Cup final.
Back in the centre circle, Modric kisses both his fists in relief.
Madrid penalty 2 — Jude Bellingham
With his uber-confident demeanour, Bellingham wouldn’t look out of place in a UFC octagon or WWE ring. He stands over the ball on the spot. He stares at Ederson. He walks backwards while maintaining eye contact in a manner that metaphorically asks the question, ‘Who’s the daddy?’.
Bellingham twirls around to his left (having walked backwards in a straight line), he takes his time (there will be seven seconds between the whistle and him striking the ball, the longest such wait in the shootout… Bellingham scores on his own time) and sidefoots into the bottom left corner. Ederson drops to his knees. Bellingham is 10 years his junior but at this moment, he is also his daddy.
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Bellingham only has eyes for the distant away end now, pointing one finger in their direction as he jogs back to the centre circle, then he lifts both arms to them and shouts: “Come on, then!”.
City penalty 3 — Mateo Kovacic
This is the quickest turnaround for a penalty in this shootout so far (32 seconds), because that’s how Kovacic wants it.
He walks quickly to the spot, inhaling via his nose and then his mouth, walks back, stares at the ball, waits for the whistle… he wants to get it over with.
Meanwhile, 50 yards away in the centre circle, Kovacic’s former Chelsea team-mate Antonio Rudiger is pointing animatedly to his left, the ‘keeper’s right, in a bid to share with Lunin where he thinks this penalty is going.
Bottom left, nowhere near the corner, easily saved. Rudiger celebrates, Modric looks at him gleefully. Kovacic looks ruefully to the floor, then to the sky. Neither offers him comfort or advice, unless the stars have aligned to spell out, ‘Should have taken your time, mate.’
Madrid penalty 3 — Lucas Vazquez
When you have had the gumption to take — and score — the first penalty in a Champions League final shootout, this is nothing.
So chill is Vazquez, he is doing keepy-uppies as he ambles towards the spot.
He does not need to embroil himself in mind-games with Ederson, so stares directly at the ball from the very edge of the area, dead centre, then shuffles to the left a la Bellingham… then he stutters, not once, but twice, the crowd booing his every step… and he goes bottom left. Goal. Into the side netting, in fact.
Ederson, as after the Bellingham penalty, drops to his knees as he angles the other way.
Vazquez just nods his head as he jogs back to the centre circle in a manner that states, ‘Hell yes.’
Kovacic shakes his head again. He can sense how this story ends.
City penalty 4 — Phil Foden
Another brisk penalty from City, this time Foden is in a rush as he heads straight to the spot, sticks the ball down, takes five paces back and is ready before Ederson has even turned around to watch from the right side of the penalty area.
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No nonsense from Foden, who goes left as well, the fourth taker in a row to do so, with an emphatic strike. Lunin goes the opposite way.
There is no reaction from Foden, just a stress-free businesslike penalty, which is exactly what City need.
Madrid penalty 4 — Nacho
Foden appears to have a word with Nacho as the two walk past each other, but Nacho is unruffled.
It’s all very straightforward and cool from Madrid’s captain as he shoots into the right corner (the first in this direction since Alvarez) and Ederson, again, goes the wrong way.
City penalty 5 – Ederson
One of the best penalties comes at a big pressure moment — and from a goalkeeper. If Ederson misses here, City lose, but far from flunking, he guides the ball into the bottom-left corner at pace, under Lunin’s hand, as it’s too quick for him.
Lunin looks a bit peeved, as well he might. Ederson follows the ball into the net and picks it up.
Madrid penalty 5 – Antonio Rudiger
Was it always planned for the German centre-back to take the decisive penalty? We can’t be certain of that, but we do know Madrid made some late changes to their shootout strategy.
Davide Ancelotti, manager Carlo’s son and assistant, earlier prepared a piece of paper on which he wrote down the potential takers. Substitute ‘keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was involved too.
“Thanks to Kepa’s help, and talking to the players, a couple of them were modified,” Davide says later. “We are the ones who decide and if one says he is dead (too tired), we change. That’s how it’s done, but it comes from the coaching staff.
“Many wanted to take a shot. The only one who didn’t want to was Eder Militao, because Ederson said he knows him (from being Brazil team-mates).”
Follow the Champions League on The Athletic…
- Champions League fixtures and results
- Real Madrid remind the world that not even Manchester City are perfect
- Erling Haaland: A peripheral figure on City’s biggest night of the season
Apart from the Bernardo delay, this is the longest wait between penalties at 44 seconds, but there is no delay on anyone’s part but Rudiger’s.
He wants to take his time. Madrid wait 38 seconds on average for their spot kicks on the night, with City at 33 (not including the Bernardo one). It speaks to Madrid’s composure, and Rudiger epitomises that. The referee is talking to him as he puts the ball on the spot but Rudiger is a picture of focus and completely ignores him, keeping his eyes squarely on Ederson as he walks backwards and lets out a deep exhale as the whistle sounds.
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Ederson has kissed the left-hand post a few seconds earlier, wanting good fortune to shine on him and City, but despite the ’keeper and the ball both going in that direction, he can’t reach Rudiger’s excellent penalty. It’s over.
Rudiger runs at full pelt back towards his team-mates, goes for a big knee-slide and is swamped under a huge pile-on. Kovacic is on his haunches with regret on his mind. Bellingham heads to the away end with the fans — and celebrations — on his mind.
(Top photo: Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
