Manchester City's Champions League elimination was confirmed tonight as they failed to beat Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium.
Sergio Aguero scored from the penalty spot against the 10-man visitors, but it was only enough for a 1-1 draw after Karim Benzema had earlier opened the scoring for the La Liga champions.
Below, Sports Mole analyses whether City's European exit was a fair reflection of the action.
Match statistics:
Man City:
Shots: 9
On target: 4
Possession: 50%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 21
Real Madrid:
Shots: 14
On target: 10
Possession: 50%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 8
Was the result fair?
In truth, City were lucky to get a point. Madrid battered them during the early stages and had a handful of chances to add to Benzema's effort. Had they fallen to someone other than Sami Khedira, then the visitors would probably have entered the break with a two or three-goal cushion. Roberto Mancini's tactical tinkering helped sure his side up at the back, but they were not really an attacking threat until Alvaro Arbeloa's dismissal. The man advantage helped City build some sustained pressure, but there were few genuine chances for them to find a winning goal.
Man City's performance
Another below-par display in Europe. They started very slowly at both ends and that was always going to prove costly against a Madrid side with such a high-quality attack - as proven by Benzema's opener. Mancini's switch to his usual 4-4-2 solidified City in defence and shifting David Silva to the right resulted in more joy going forward. As it was though, even the magical Spaniard could not create enough for the hosts to regularly trouble a sturdy Madrid back line.
Real Madrid's performance
Scarily good in the opening half-hour. They have such pace on the counter-attack, with Cristiano Ronaldo an obvious focal point. The former Manchester United forward had the running of Vincent Kompany all game and when he wasn't involved, Angel Di Maria and Benzema were almost equally dangerous. The central defensive partnership of Sergio Ramos and Pepe were solid, and behind them, Iker Casillas pulled off one world-class stop to keep Madrid ahead after the interval. Jose Mourinho's men are serious contenders.
Sports Mole's man of the match
David Silva was at the heart of everything good City did in attack. The change to 4-4-2 allowed Silva to find more space on the right, rather than in a congested centre of the park, and he thrived in it. Showed great ball retention and carried the ball brilliantly. Such a shame he ended up on the losing side.
Biggest gaffe of the game
Maicon must have been day dreaming when he allowed Benzema to drift in behind him and convert Di Maria's cross unmarked for the opening goal. Not his worst night in the Champions League, though. *Cough*. Gareth Bale.
Referee's performance
Probably got the penalty and resultant red card decisions correct. It was more a tangling of legs between Arbeloa and Aguero, but the Spaniard's contact with the City man certainly took him to the ground. Made a few poor decisions when it came to soft bookings, but did not have a negative influence on the match in any shape or form.
What next?
Man City: A huge match with Rafael Benitez's title-chasing Chelsea on Sunday. Thoughts of a potential Europa League campaign will certainly be far from the mind.
Real Madrid: Short-term, away to Real Betis in La Liga on Saturday. Long-term, unlike City, they have the Champions League knockout stages to plan for.
Joe Fish
