Champions League: Pep Guardiola returns to Spain to face old enemy; Juventus travels to Lyon

Could that be the night that changes Manchester City’s Champions League fortunes?

After comical errors from Rodri, Nicolas Otamendi and Kyle Walker had gifted Real Madrid a goal out of nothing, it looked as though the club would continue its living nightmare in this competition, which it has never won.

But Pep Guardiola’s side showed some real mental fortitude to turn things around and come away from the Bernabeu with a deserved advantage.

Huge credit must also go to Fernandinho – who was brought on as a substitute for the injured Aymeric Laporte in the Brazilian’s unfavored position of center back – after the Brazilian’s two crucial defensive blocks in the space of three minutes kept the score at 1-0.

In truth, Real’s goal came very much against the run of play and when City did eventually equalize through Gabriel Jesus’ header – Kevin De Bruyne once again at the heart of the move – there only looked like there would be one winner.

But this is still Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, a daunting prospect for any team in Europe and even more so for a club that had never previously tasted victory against Los Blancos.

Raheem Sterling’s introduction inside the final 10 minutes proved to be the additional boost City needed to get over the line.

The Englishman’s electric pace was too much for Dani Carvajal to handle and the Spaniard made a rash challenge to give away a blatant penalty.

Up stepped De Bruyne – undeterred after seeing several teammates miss penalties already this season – to bury it into the bottom corner.

A hop and a fist bump was quite the understated celebration considering it secured the club’s first ever victory over Real, but as the Belgian said, this tie is only half done.

To make matters worse for Real Madrid, Sergio Ramos was shown a straight red card – his 26th for the club – after bringing down Jesus in the final few minutes.

The Spaniard now holds the record for most red cards in La Liga history, Champions League history, Real Madrid history and Spanish national team history.

As records go that’s quite a collection!

For somebody used to playing as a striker, that was a phenomenal performance from Gabriel Jesus as a left winger – and a very defensive one at that.

He tracked back diligently all match and not once lost his concentration.

His performance was rewarded with the equalizing goal and his quick feet in the final minutes caused Sergio Ramos to bring him down, resulting in a red card for the defender.

Here is Jesus, speaking to BT Sport.

Speaking to BT Sport after the match, Manchester City captain Kevin De Bruyne was remaining very calm and composed after that victory.

There wasn’t much of a celebration from the Belgian after he buried the winning penalty and he was keen to emphasise how difficult it will be to see out this tie against Real Madrid in the return leg at the Etihad.

The starting lineup, particularly for the omission of Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus’ position as a defensive winger raised some eyebrows.

It sounds as though it raised some in the City changing room too.

On his 50th goal for Manchester City:

History for Lyon!

The French side records its first ever victory over Juventus and that was a gutsy defensive display.

Despite Juve dominating in the second half, it rarely looked like troubling Lyon’s goal.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s reaction sums up Juventus’ night quite well.

What a night for Manchester City!

Pep Guardiola’s side showed some guts to come from behind and, in truth, the victory is exactly what they deserve.

Real’s misery in that second half was compounded by Sergio Ramos’ red card for bringing down Gabriel Jesus.

Advantage Manchester City!

Manchester City hasn’t had much luck with penalties this season, with a number of players already missing from the spot – but Kevin De Bruyne buried that one emphatically.

For the 26th time, Sergio Ramos is shown a red for Real Madrid.

A poor pass from Casemiro allows Gabriel Jesus to steal possession and go in behind Ramos, who pulls on Jesus’ shoulder and brings him down.

The resulting free-kick is hit by Mahrez straight at Courtois.

It’s Real Madrid 1-2 Manchester City!

In the space of a few minutes, this tie has been turned on its head.

Kevin De Bruyne, captain for the evening, drills it low into the bottom corner – what a HUGE goal that could be in this tie.

The referee points to the spot after Dani Carvajal brings down Raheem Sterling – that’s a clear penalty.

What a huge, huge goal that could be in this tie!

Kevin De Bruyne does brilliantly to dig out a cross and Gabriel Jesus sneaks in behind Sergio Ramos to head past Thibault Courtois.

The keeper probably should do better there and, despite protestations from Real Madrid that Ramos was pushed, the goal stands.

That goal has sucked the life out of the stadium.

That goal has changed everything at the Bernabeu.

For the first time in the game, the crowd has really come to life and is making quite the noise.

Real Madrid has responded and Fernandinho has just made two decisive blocks to stop the home side doubling its lead.

And here come Gareth Bale and Raheem Sterling!

Juventus has dominated possession in this second half … but with 25 minutes to go they’ve still yet to create a clear chance.

Lyon’s defense is looking resolute and the home side are looking to hit Juve on the break.

Aaron Ramsey has come on for Miralem Pjanic. Can the former Arsenal midfielder swing this tie back in Juve’s favor?

Well … out of absolutely nothing, Real Madrid takes the lead.

A comedy of errors from Manchester City, first through Rodri and Nicolas Otamendi and then Kyle Walker, allows Vinicius Jr. to square the ball for Isco to finish.

The Spaniard had plenty to do but placed it coolly past Ederson into the bottom corner.

City and Guardiola will be kicking themselves, gifting Real a goal just as they were beginning to dominate.

Ten minutes into the second half at the Santiago Bernabeu and all of a sudden City has come to life – thanks largely to Riyad Mahrez.

The Algerian is looking very lively and has really tested Thibault Courtois twice in the space of two minutes; he’s also curled another effort just wide of the far post.

Surely Zinedine Zidane has to change something soon, his side has done absolutely nothing to try and find a goal in this half.

These two pictures pretty much sum up how the game is going in Lyon.

The home side is 40 minutes away from securing a major shock thanks to Lucas Tousart’s first-half goal.

For Cristiano Ronaldo … frustration abounds.

With the first half coming to a close, Pep Guardiola will certainly be the happier of the two managers.

Real Madrid has been surprisingly defensive with Manchester City dominating the ball for long spells.

Don’t be surprised to see some changes from Zinedine Zidane early in the second half.

Real Madrid breathes a huge sigh of relief as the half-time whistle sounds, with Sergio Ramos desperately clearing Riyad Mahrez’s shot off the line.

City on top so far and Pep Guardiola will be delighted.

HT: Real Madrid 0-0 Manchester City.

Lyon are well worth their half-time lead, courtesy of Lucas Tousart’s goal. The home side have kept Cristiano Ronaldo pretty quiet.

In the English Premier League the introduction of VAR has been incredibly controversial, with seemingly nobody happy – be it fans, players or managers.

On the basis of the Lyon vs. Juve match, the VAR officials in the Champions League are making decisions quickly without interrupting the flow of the game as evidenced by their review of a possible handball against Juan Cuadrado in the penalty box.

The decision is made without too much fuss and in this instance it’s not a penalty.

Aymeric Laporte limps off the pitch with tears in eyes as the Frenchman suffers yet another injury.

He’s only just made his way back into the City side after a lengthy spell out with a knee problem.

Let’s hope it’s nothing too serious.

Real Madrid is inches away from taking the lead!

City keeper Ederson does brilliantly to get down and save Karim Benzema’s header and goodness only knows how Vinicius Jr. doesn’t tap home the rebound into an empty net.

It looked as though the young Brazilian tripped over his own legs.

More than 30 minutes gone and Real finally creates a chance.

Is a shock brewing in Lyon?

With Juventus down to 10 men – Matthijs de Ligt was off the pitch having treatment for a bloodied head – Lyon make their numerical advantage pay.

It’s that man Houssem Aouar who creates the goal, cutting in from the left and crossing the ball with Lucas Tousart applying the finishing touch.

With his head heavily bandaged, De Ligt is now back on the pitch.

Lyon 1-0 Juventus

In a sign of Lyon’s growing confidence, Houssem Aouar has just nutmegged Paolo Dybala. Cheeky, but a piece of skill the Lyon midfielder carries off with some aplomb.

The first real chance of the games goes to Manchester City.

A slight injection of pace into the play sees Kevin De Bruyne turn in space and thread in Gabriel Jesus, who cuts inside onto his right foot and draws a sharp save from Thibault Courtois.

Just over 20 minutes gone and it’s been a very quiet game so far.

Juve is given a real scare as Karl Toko Ekambi glances a header onto the bar following a corner.

After a nervy start, Lyon has really come into this game.

Pep Guardiola, here, mimicking the reaction of every Manchester City fan when laying eyes on the starting XI, notably the omission of Sergio Aguero.

Spectators at the Lyon vs. Juve are also given guidance on coronavirus via the giant screen at the stadium.

Italy has confirmed 322 cases of the virus, the Italian civil protection agency said Tuesday. That’s the highest number of coronavirus infections outside Asia.

The cases are heavily concentrated in the region of Lombardy where 212 infections have been confirmed. The authorities said Tuesday evening that 11 people have so far died from the virus in the country.

Five minutes gone in Lyon and Cristiano Ronaldo has already served notice of his threat, setting up a Juve attack with back-heel and then dinking in a cross from the left.

Former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot is in the starting Juve line-up and is roundly booed when he gets on the ball.

With the coronavirus having now spread to six continents, fans at major sporting events are beginning to take protective measures.

Spain had its first confirmed case on Tuesday as a hotel in Tenerife was partially put on lockdown after an Italian man at the hotel tested positive for the coronavirus overnight.

The death toll from coronavirus is over 2,700 worldwide, with the vast majority in mainland China. There have been more than 80,000 global cases with cases in every continent except Antarctica.

The teams get us under way in Madrid and Lyon … we’ll keep you updated with all the action as it happens.

The mascots are ready for the Lyon vs. Juve game.

Here’s the Juventus starting 11.

And Cristiano Ronaldo is in the house …

Given he spent the vast majority of his time at Real Madrid playing a supporting role to Cristiano Ronaldo, perhaps Karim Benzema doesn’t quite get the credit he deserves.

Not only does the Frenchman boast a more than impressive goalscoring record, tonight he hits a milestone only five other players in Real Madrid’s history have reached.

Given Pep Guardiola’s impressive record at the Bernabeu, where he went unbeaten in his four years as Barcelona coach, Spanish media are understandably relishing his return.

Newspaper Marca has dubbed Pep “the scourge of the Bernabeu” and with good reason – his first match there in the 2008/09 season was a 6-2 demolition of Real Madrid.

In total, Guardiola has played eight times in Real’s back yard and lost only once – a 1-0 Champions League defeat while in charge at Bayern Munich – winning five times, scoring 18 goals and conceding just eight.

Guardiola spent the majority of this pre-match press conference with a big grin on his face – you can tell he’s relishing this one too.

Here’s how Real Madrid lines up for tonight’s round of 16 first leg … and there’s a place on the bench for Gareth Bale.

And there is one very surprising omission from Manchester City’s starting XI – Sergio Aguero only makes the bench.

Here’s how Lyon will line up against Juventus.

And a taste of the atmosphere at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais.

The number of games he’s played, the number of goals he’s scored … you almost need a PhD in maths to keep track of Cristiano Ronaldo’s footballing feats.

On Saturday he marked his 1,000th appearance for club and country with the opening goal in a 2-1 win for Juventus at SPAL in Serie A.

Ronaldo was finding the net for his 11th consecutive Serie A game, a feat previously only achieved by Gabriel Omar Batistuta in the 1994/95 season and Fabio Quagliarella in 2018/19.

As regards the never-ending debate of who is currently the world’s best player, Ronaldo holds the bragging rights over Lionel Messi in the Champions League goalscoring feats.

The Juventus star leads Messi 128–114.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is a player who is appreciated all over the world,” Maurizio Sarri told reporters ahead of the Lyon game. “His stats are enough to talk about the state of his form. He is an enthralling player, and is well both from a physical and mental point of view.” 

Lyon has a proud history of developing its own players and one of the stars of the current team is the wonderfully graceful midfielder Houssem Aouar.

In a moving interview with The Players’ Tribune in April 2019, Aouar spoke of the influence of his mother, who worked as a nurse after coming to France from Algeria, on his career.

“She worked really hard for us,” said Aouar. “She was our strength, my source of motivation.

“I saw how she gave everything to raise us in the best possible condition so we could all become men.

Aouar’s mother told him: “Never change who you are – stay simple, introverted.”

Aouar was also advised by his Mum to “believe in the goal he wanted to reach,” but that school always came first.

As for footballing influences, Aouar revealed: “Zinedine Zidane was the player who made me love football.”

Despite his previous bitter rivalry with Real Madrid while in charge at Barcelona, Pep Guardiola wasn’t short of compliments for tonight’s opponent.

Under current coach Zinedine Zidane, Real won an unprecedented three consecutive Champions League titles – no team had previously won two back-to-back – between 2016 and 2018.

Guardiola has suffered very contrasting fortunes with Manchester City in the Champions League, failing to advance past the quarterfinals in his three years at the club.

City’s best performance in the competition came in 2016 during Manuel Pellegrini’s final season in charge, reaching the semifinal before losing 1-0 on aggregate to … Real Madrid.

Much like with Paris Saint-Germain, question marks remain around Manchester City’s pedigree in the latter stages of this competition and last season’s VAR heartbreak against Tottenham with have done little tohelp.

If it’s probably fair to say that Juventus are overwhelming favorites to reach the quarterfinals at Lyon’s expense.

“OL are favourites for nothing, this morning, unless it’s a beating: that’s the price to pay for a so-so season and a balance of power that seems unequal,” wrote L’Equipe’s Vincent Duluc.

“Juventus have more experience, talent and collective quality. It’s hard to see what the Old Lady has less of, unless it’s youth.”

Nonetheless Lyon can take inspiration from the feats of Ajax last season. The Dutch club dumped Real Madrid out of the Champions League last season at the last-16 stage and then stunned Juve in the quarterfinals, before losing in the semifinals to Tottenham Hotspur.

“Are we worried about facing Juventus and Ronaldo? No fear. We know our strengths. It’s now up to us to deliver and play a great game,” Moussa Dembele told reporters ahead of Wednesday’s game.

“As a striker, I’m here to score, but I don’t feel any extra pressure. I’ll play the way I always do and hopefully deliver a great game for the team.”

Lyon coach Rudi Garcia added: “[Ronaldo] is a wonderfully dedicated player. It’s great to be facing him, even though we won’t have a specific plan to deal with him, because if you do that you would need plans for Dybala and Higuaín too.

“They have too many great players to deal with them all individually. It has to be a team effort.”

Pep Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane go way, way back.

Back two decades, in fact, to Euro 2000.

In the only match the pair ever faced off in, France beat Spain 2-1 in the quarterfinals en route to winning the title.

Zidane scored a Zidane-esque free-kick to give France the lead, before Spain equalized from the penalty spot through Gaizka Mendieta.

Youri Djorkaeff scored the winner and the rest, as they say, is history as France went on to claim back-to-back major titles after its World Cup win on home soil two years earlier.