Man City vs Real Madrid LIVE: Result and reaction as brilliant City cruise into Champions League final

12 mins: John Stones blazes a shot towards Real Madrid’s goal but pulls it just wide of the left hand post and doesn’t trouble Thibaut Courtois.

It’s a good sign for City that they’re being able to get this many shots away.

11 mins: Real Madrid haven’t got themselves into the match yet. They’re being bullied and dominated by City who will be desperate to cap off this period of possession with an early goal.

9 mins: Chance! This is a great start from Man City. Erling Haaland is fed into the box and weaves around Thibaut Courtois. He doesn’t have angle to shoot so cuts the ball back into the middle but none of his teammates are in the box.

Eventually the ball comes to Rodri who makes a fine run of his own. He checks to the right and drives into the penalty area as space opens up ahead of him.

A snapshot from the midfielder sails across goal then flies wide of the far post!

6 mins: Nice play from City. John Stones flicks a pass over to Jack Grealish who dances past Dani Carvajal. His cross comes over to Bernardo Silva who nods the ball back to Kevin De Bruyne.

De Bruyne drives into the right side of the box before chipping the ball over towards Erling Haaland but David Alaba wins the header and loops the ball up for Thibaut Courtois to claim.

3 mins: City probe the left flank with Ilkay Gundogan, Jack Grealish and Manuel Akanji all combining in an attempt to get into the box.

Madrid are solid though and hold their ground causing Gundogan to send a pass across to Kyle Walker. Encouraged by the crowd he shoots but spanks the effort high and wide.

Manchester City get the ball rolling at the Etihad Stadium, this is a massive game. Pep Guardiola is trying to reach his fourth Champions League final.

City last reached the final in 2021, can they get past Real Madrid tonight?

The players make their way out onto the pitch at the Etihad Stadium. As always, Real Madrid look calm and composed with captain Karim Benzema smiling as he leads out his teammates.

Whichever side wins tonight’s game will be the favourites to lift the Champions League trophy in June. It almost feels like a final itself but who will be victorious?

Kick off is up next.

Ilkay Gundogan has been involved in six goals in his last three competitive games for Manchester City and therefore has been directly involved in each of the Citizens’ last six goals (4 goals, 2 assists).

Will he get on the scoresheet again tonight?

Kyle Walker recalls the pain and it wasn’t the kind many a left winger has experienced when they have found themselves in a race against him, legs burning as Manchester City and England’s roadrunner accelerated past them. This was the sense of rejection. Pep Guardiola had recalibrated his team, altered the role of the right-back and the footballer who had played more times in defence for the Catalan than anyone else was suddenly deemed redundant. “He cannot do it,” Guardiola said bluntly.

“Did it hurt? Of course it did,” Walker reflected. “I can’t sit here and lie to you and say it didn’t hurt. Of course it did. You start to doubt yourself but you have to go back to basics to what you are good at, what he bought you for and prove him wrong and that is what I have done. Sometimes certain opinions in football, you don’t always agree with, but for what he has done for me and for Man City in the last six years, has been nothing short of tremendous.”

Some six weeks after Guardiola’s damning appraisal, it may be no exaggeration to say his chances of winning his third, and City’s first, Champions League rest with Walker.

Long after the final whistle blew at San Siro, that welcome sound gave way to a more wondrous noise as the old ground shook and the celebrations showed no sign of abating. The curva nord was still full with ultras, belting out club anthems. That was all to serenade the extended squad, club hierarchy and their families, who were all still on the pitch. In classic celebration scenes, the children of the players were at the other end having a game among themselves.

You could have been forgiven for thinking they’d won the final itself.

A cynical view would be that was precisely what this was, since they eliminated their greatest rivals, and the expectation is that either Manchester City or Real Madrid will just cruise to victory in Istanbul.