Captain Bernardo Silva’s first-half red card proved decisive as Vinícius Júnior scored twice to lead Real Madrid to another UEFA Champions League victory over Manchester City, eliminating Pep Guardiola’s side for the third straight season.
City faced an uphill battle after a 3-0 first-leg defeat and began the match brightly with attacking intent. However, Silva’s sending-off dealt a major blow to any hopes of a comeback.
The Portuguese midfielder, positioned on the goal line, handled a shot from Vinícius, prompting a VAR review. After referee Clément Turpin checked the pitchside monitor, Silva was shown a straight red card and a penalty was awarded.
Vinícius, who had missed from the spot in the previous leg against Gianluigi Donnarumma, made no mistake this time, calmly converting to put Madrid in control and silence the Etihad crowd.
Real Madrid could have extended their advantage early on when Federico Valverde found himself through on goal, but his effort lacked power and was easily gathered.
City pushed forward in search of goals but were repeatedly denied by Thibaut Courtois, who stood firm in goal. Efforts from Rayan Cherki and Rodri were kept out, while Erling Haaland also saw a strong attempt saved.
Haaland eventually found the net just before half-time to offer City a faint hope, but any chance of a comeback faded in the second half as Vinícius struck again deep into stoppage time to seal the win.
