Man City haunted by forgotten enemy as Real Madrid end Treble dream

Just as it was all starting to come together, it fell apart for Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola's side have conquered all of Europe but have never mastered the art of penalties and were sent crashing out of the Champions League with a shootout at the end of another titanic battle with Real Madrid. The players gave their all and were clapped off by a terrific Etihad crowd but were left with another heartbreaking exit and with it the end of their dream to win the Treble.

If it is ridiculous that they made it this far in their quest, as all the momentum gathered around them towards one final push they found themselves frustrated by the team that has now bested them twice in three years over a series of epic contests.

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Man City reaction after painful Real Madrid defeat

Despite picking up some big wins in recent weeks, City have not looked as strong this season as they were when they met Real last season and blew them away. They have had a chronic inability to keep clean sheets all season, so it wasn't really a surprise when Rodrygo netted in the 12th minute.

The only disappointment was the way it came about. Having been brought back into the team specifically for this match, captain Kyle Walker managed first to play Vinicius Jr onside and then spent the time he should have been blocking the cross to Rodrygo with his arm in the air instead appealing for a decision that would never come; if that was a harsh reintroduction for Walker, it was even more difficult for Ederson after he made a stunning reflex save only to see the rebound fall straight back to the Real attacker.

Just as they had last week at the Bernabeu though, City rallied. They had started well before