Manchester City vs. Real Madrid: Score, Reaction from 2016 Champions League

Manchester City kept a clean sheet at home to Real Madrid in their UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night, but they won’t take a lead to the Santiago Bernabeu on May 4 after a 0-0 draw.   

It’s still a credible result for City, though, who can crank the pressure on Los Blancos by netting an away goal in the Spanish capital. But manager Manuel Pellegrini may well rue not scoring at home, especially since the 10-time winners were missing attacking talisman Cristiano Ronaldo.

Madrid’s prolific No. 7 sat out with injury, per El Chiringuito’s Jose Luis Sanchez (h/t ESPN’s Dermot Corrigan), but should be back for next week’s second leg.

That will mean City will have to be even more resilient at the back than they were Tuesday night. Goalkeeper Joe Hart was again the hero, producing two excellent close-range saves in the second half, salvaging a game otherwise woefully short of attacking intent.

Pellegrini kept faith in Spanish pair Jesus Navas and David Silva, both of whom have struggled in Premier League action recently. They kept Raheem Sterling consigned to the bench, while Brazilian duo Fernandinho and the underrated Fernando manned the centre of midfield, per City:

TEAM NEWS | Here’s your #mcfc line-up for tonight! #cityvreal #mcfc pic.twitter.com/duXzKPOiuh

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) April 26, 2016

Ronaldo’s absence was notable, but Los Blancos still boasted plenty of star power in Manchester, including centre-forward Karim Benzema and the prolific Gareth Bale. Manager Zinedine Zidane also persisted with winger Lucas Vazquez in place of James Rodriguez or Isco, per the club:

This is our starting line-up for tonight’s @ChampionsLeague semi-final first leg against Manchester City. ????#RMUCL pic.twitter.com/MXcP1TNhTw

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) April 26, 2016

Benzema caused the City back four a few headaches early on, forcing a corner from Vincent Kompany, before drawing Nicolas Otamendi into a free-kick. But City …

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