Real Madrid made another one of those comebacks in Europe, but this time Manchester City also did it. That’s why Madrid did it again, though this time they didn’t go all the way and left this quarterfinal on edge. The last two European champion teams played each other and scored an average of 4.3 goals per game. It was another crazy night to remember.

Ancelotti had asked for bravery and personality, and there was a lot of both. There was also a lot of ability. Bernabéu scored six goals, too, setting up an exciting second leg at the Etihad Stadium. It will be fun if it’s even half as good as this 3-3 tie.

After only 95 seconds, Bernardo Silva put City ahead. They were behind 2-1 after a Rúben Dias own goal and Rodrygo’s blocked finish 114 seconds later. But City came back to lead with two amazing goals in five second-half minutes from Phil Foden and Josko Gvardiol, who made Pep Guardiola dance on the sidelines.

As it looked like they were about to make things right, Madrid reminded City whose team this was with a beautiful shot by Fede Valverde that ended a loud, tense, and emotional night. Based on past events, the only thing that was missing was a late winner, a crazy ending, or a blast to end it.

That might take place next week. There were many exciting times in this game. At one point, it looked like City could beat Madrid, then Madrid could beat City, and finally City could beat Madrid again. At the end, both teams were still alive, but Guardiola’s team has every right to be happy and cautiously hopeful. Next week, Madrid will be without Aurélien Tchouaméni, and City will have Kevin De Bruyne back after being sick all game. They hope that Erling Haaland will also be able to play better at home, where they haven’t lost a Champions League game since 2018.

In the end, it didn’t end badly, but it could not have started better, with the guests ahead after just two minutes. Jack Grealish was taken out by Tchouaméni after only 38 seconds. He got a yellow card, which means he can’t play in the second game, and Bernardo Silva scored from the free kick. The spot, 20 yards to the left of the area, didn’t look good, but Silva saw an opening and hit the ball hard and low to the near post, even though Vinícius Júnior was in the way. It got to Andriy Lunin, but he couldn’t stop it. The time had only been 95 seconds.

City seemed to be in charge, but Haaland’s shot was quickly stopped by Lunin’s hand and the post. Madrid was having trouble getting the ball and looked like they were in trouble. But if there was ever a team that could quickly change everything, this is it. This is also the place where things can suddenly catch fire. And Madrid took the lead almost as soon as City did.

Almost right away? More quickly. It seemed to appear out of thin air, as it often does. As if this were another act of fate, it came from two deflections. The first goal came from Eduardo Camavinga’s shot that went nowhere. It hit Dias, changed direction, and spun past Stefan Ortega and into the net. Then Vinicíus turned and set Rodrygo free. He ran into the City area and his shot hit Manuel Akanji’s heel, leaving Ortega helpless to watch another one go into the net. There were only 114 seconds between the two goals, which was enough to knock City out of the game. They looked like they were flawed by what was going to happen.

Madrid may have thought they could even end it. Guardiola’s team wasn’t very good, and Haaland had slipped somewhere in Toni Rüdiger’s circle. After a nice pass exchange between Grealish, Rodri, and Foden, Tchouaméni blocked, but there was no other way through.

There were also periods when they didn’t have the ball at all. On the other end, whenever Madrid started a run, there seemed to be a lot of room. And too often, City gave up the ball at the start of those runs, which was then taken advantage of.

Rodrygo and Vinícius had the best chances, which came from two steals. They also had two more chances early in the second half, but Jude Bellingham missed the target and Vinícius missed another. But things were changing. Rodri sent a header over, Foden shot into Lunin’s arms, and then Lunin blocked Silva’s shot as City took control. They turned the screw little by little. Madrid was getting tired, falling lower, and having a hard time breathing. It was City again, and they had the ball for a long time. John Stones and Silva created some space for Foden, who hit the top corner with a beautiful shot. Another great shot from Gvardiol went into the net just five minutes later.

At this point, Madrid looked like they were on the canvas, but you know what happens next. Luka Modric, who came on as a replacement and wasn’t tired yet at 38, gave them a boost. He also found Vinícius, whose clean, clipped cross was met by Valverde’s low shot, which made the place explode again. There were 10 minutes left, but no more goals. At least not this week. Then it was on to Manchester for more.