Real Madrid 1-2 Manchester City: Post-match review, Stats, Key moments

Dive into Ladbrokes’ post-match review of Real Madrid 1-2 Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday, 10 December 2025, with stats, key moments and our take on the match.

Manchester City beat Real Madrid 1-2 in this encounter. Real Madrid took the lead through Rodrygo in the 28th minute, assisted by Jude Bellingham, but Manchester City fought back with Nico O’Reilly equalising in the 35th minute from a Josko Gvardiol assist. Erling Haaland then put City ahead with a penalty in the 43rd minute after a VAR check, shifting momentum before the break. Coming off a mixed run with wins against Olympiacos and Juventus but losses to Liverpool and now City, Real Madrid struggled to convert their early dominance into a result.

The second half saw both sides make changes, with Real Madrid bringing on Arda Güler for Gonzalo García at 58 minutes and Brahim Díaz for Dani Ceballos at 67 minutes, while Manchester City introduced Omar Marmoush for Erling Haaland and Tijjani Reijnders for Phil Foden at 70 minutes. Despite late yellow cards for Real’s Rodrygo and Álvaro Carreras, and City’s Nico O’Reilly and Bernardo Silva, neither team added to the scoreline. Manchester City, buoyed by recent wins over Dortmund and Villarreal despite a loss to Leverkusen, showed resilience to secure the away victory and build on their form.

Real Madrid edged possession with 52% compared to Manchester City’s 48%, suggesting they controlled more of the ball, but City’s higher successful dribbles at 62 against 44 indicated they were more effective in breaking lines and creating threats on the counter. Corners were even at three each, pointing to balanced set-piece opportunities, while both teams picked up three yellow cards apiece, reflecting a feisty contest without any reds. City converted their one penalty, and Real recorded one assist, but substitutions saw Real make three changes – Arda Güler on for Gonzalo García at 58’, Brahim Díaz for Dani Ceballos at 67’, and Endrick for Raúl Asencio at 79’ – while City used four, with Omar Marmoush replacing Erling Haaland and Tijjani Reijnders for Phil Foden at 70’, Savinho for Rayan Cherki at 71’, and Nathan Aké for Jérémy Doku at 87’.

The game turned on key goals and decisions, starting with a VAR check on Vinicius Junior for Real Madrid in the third minute, before Rodrygo opened the scoring in the 28th minute with Jude Bellingham’s assist. Manchester City responded quickly, as Nico O’Reilly levelled in the 35th minute from Josko Gvardiol’s pass, and Erling Haaland converted a penalty in the 43rd minute following a VAR review, giving City the lead. Disciplinary issues mounted with yellow cards for Real’s Antonio Rüdiger at 43’, Rodrygo at 87’, and Álvaro Carreras at 88’, while City’s Phil Foden was booked at 11’, Nico O’Reilly at 76’, Pep Guardiola twice at 82’, and Bernardo Silva at 90’; substitutions like Arda Güler for Gonzalo García at 58’ aimed to refresh Real’s attack but couldn’t overturn the deficit.

Real Madrid lined up in a 4-4-2 formation, with Jude Bellingham providing creativity in midfield to support forwards like Rodrygo, who scored their only goal, and partnerships evident in assists such as Bellingham’s for Rodrygo.

Manchester City set out in a 4-3-3 shape, relying on Erling Haaland’s finishing up front, where he netted from the penalty spot, and midfield contributions from players like Nico O’Reilly, who scored and assisted through links with Josko Gvardiol.

Rodrygo is Ladbrokes’ Man of the Match after a standout performance that included scoring one goal, creating two big chances, and delivering five key passes, making him a constant threat for Real Madrid despite the defeat.

Recent Champions League matches:

• Loss: 1-2 vs Manchester City (H)
• Win: 4-3 vs Olympiacos F.C. (A)
• Loss: 0-1 vs Liverpool (A)
• Win: 1-0 vs Juventus (H)
• Win: 5-0 vs Kairat (A)

Recent Champions League matches:

• Win: 2-1 vs Real Madrid (A)
• Loss: 0-2 vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen (H)
• Win: 4-1 vs Borussia Dortmund (H)
• Win: 2-0 vs Villarreal (A)
• Draw: 2-2 vs Monaco (A)

Real Madrid have just lost 1-2 at home to Manchester City, leaving them in seventh place on 12 points after a patchy run that includes a win over Olympiacos but defeats to Liverpool and now City. Their next match is against Deportivo Alavés on 2025-12-14 at 20:00, a fixture that offers a chance to climb the table and regain momentum in the chase for higher positions.

Manchester City have just won 2-1 away at Real Madrid, boosting them to fourth place on 13 points following strong results like victories over Dortmund and Villarreal, despite a recent loss to Leverkusen. They face Crystal Palace next on 2025-12-14 at 14:00, an opportunity to solidify their standing and push for the top spots.

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Odds and market details are accurate as of the time of publication.