Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has revealed how his side managed to keep Manchester City record-breaker Erling Haaland quiet during their Champions League semi-final first leg at the Bernabeu. Former Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger dealt well with Haaland, who barely had a shot at goal and had less touches than Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson. Despite Haaland’s rare off night, Man City came from a goal behind to earn a draw at Real Madrid, with Vinicius Junior putting the Spanish side ahead before half-time with a long-range screamer and Kevin de Bruyne cancelling out the goal with a similarly impressive strike.
Discussing Real Madrid’s tactics and how his defence were able to nullify Haaland, Courtois said: ‘If you want to defend against Haaland, you don’t give him the space to run. We tried to avoid that. We played well. As a consequence they shot more from distance. It pushed us deeper. A good draw and everything to play for next week. It will be like a final. We’re quite good at winning finals. Hopefully we can mentalise it like that.’
Rodri, the Manchester City midfielder, was satisfied with his team’s work as they avoided defeat ahead of the home leg. ‘It is very tough when you come here,’ he said. ‘I think the lads were incredible. The effort was there. Sometimes it is difficult against this team because they have a lot of quality. We knew no matter what happened here it would not be the end. At home we will need the people to support us.’
The tie is finely poised ahead of the return leg in Manchester, with Manchester City one point ahead of Premier League title rivals Arsenal ahead of their next game, a trip to Goodison Park to face Everton on Sunday. Real Madrid – currently sitting third in La Liga, 14 points behind champions-elect Barcelona – face Getafe on Saturday before turning their attentions to Wednesday’s trip to Manchester. Looking ahead to the mouth-watering encounter, City manager Pep Guardiola said: ‘It’s a final next Wednesday at home with our people. When you play this kind of game it is like a play-off, so hopefully we can learn, defend better and attack better.’