Real Madrid exact revenge on Man City as Kimmich heads Bayern past Arsenal

Real Madrid exacted revenge on Manchester City to reach the Champions League semi-finals 4-3 on penalties after withstanding a barrage at the Etihad on Wednesday.

Rodrygo gave the visitors an early lead before Kevin De Bruyne hit back for the holders to leave the match level at 1-1 on the night and 4-4 on aggregate.

However, City's defence of the competition came to an end after Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic saw spot-kicks saved by Madrid's unlikely hero Andriy Lunin.

The Ukrainian, who has deputized this season for the injured Thibaut Courtois, had been at fault for City's early opener in a thrilling first leg but more than made amends.

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City had not lost at home in the Champions League since 2018 but the holders were held at bay by a heroic defensive effort by the 14-time European champions despite having 34 attempts on goal.

Madrid were blown away by an early City blitz in a 4-0 defeat at the Etihad 11 months ago as Pep Guardiola's men went on to win the competition for the first time.

City also edged a semi-final first leg thriller 4-3 on home soil two years ago only to be stunned by a late Madrid fightback in the return leg.

In the penalties, Ederson's save from Luka Modric had given City an early lead. But Lunin calmly collected Silva's attempted chip down the middle and then denied Kovacic low to his right.

Bellingham, Lucas Vazquez and Nacho put Madrid on the brink before Rudiger landed the fatal blow to City's hopes of a second consecutive treble.

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"It's so difficult. They are continuously probing with the ball and move you around. Most teams would fall apart when City get on top of you but we stood up really well. Today it came down to mentality," said Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham.

"In other sports for the stats, we would win but football is like this and it's marvellous," said Guardiola.

"Congratulations to Madrid because their capacity to resist and defend till the end, they did so fantastically. We didn't manage to score in the final pass or final shot.

"I don't have any regrets. Always we try to create more and concede less (than the opponent) and we did everything."

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Elsewhwere, a 63rd-minute Joshua Kimmich header gave Bayern Munich a 1-0 win over Arsenal and a place in the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday.

The 3-2 aggregate quarter-final victory means Bayern return to the last-four for the first time since winning the title in 2020.

Bayern will face either Manchester City or Real Madrid for a place in the final.

The result continues a poor week for Arsenal, who conceded top spot in the Premier League table on Sunday with their first league loss of 2024.

"We can enjoy this one. The first half was cagey and then we upped the tempo," Bayern striker Harry Kane told TNT.

"These games are tough and we had to find our way through them. It's going to be a tough semi-final"

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said his side had "wanted it so badly".

"However, you can see with many other clubs that sometimes it takes six or seven years to get to that stage.  We were very close, that is the reality."

Unlike last week's four-goal spectacle in London, Wednesday's match was a cagey affair, with few clear chances for either side in a testy opening half.

Midway through the second-half and with extra-time on the horizon, Kimmich burst through the Arsenal box and headed in a perfect Raphael Guerreiro chip.

Guerreiro, pushed from wing-back to the forwards due to Bayern's injury woes, impressed as a creative presence when freed up from his usual defensive duties.

Six-time Champions League winners Bayern join fellow Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, who face Paris Saint-Germain, in the semi-finals as they prepare for Madrid.

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