Madness and magic as Madrid crushes City

The "Si, se puede! (Yes, we can!)" chants gradually faded at the Santiago Bernabeu as the minutes passed and Real Madrid looked beaten.

As the end of regulation approached, many in the stands－and on the field－were close to giving up as Manchester City defended its 1-0 lead.

It seemed that there would be no magical night at the Bernabeu for the 13-time European champion this time.

But Madrid took its Champions League comebacks to another level on Wednesday, rallying late with two goals in two minutes by substitute Rodrygo to force extra time and defeat City 3-1 to reach the final－a May 28 showdown with Liverpool.

Karim Benzema, the hero of Madrid's previous comebacks this season, converted a penalty in extra time for the decisive goal that allowed Madrid to advance 6-5 on aggregate after a 4-3 first-leg semifinal loss in which it escaped losing by a bigger margin.

"I didn't think we could do it again because we were struggling," Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said. "We had already eliminated some top teams that spent a lot of money to try to win a Champions, but today it was more impressive, happening in the final minutes."

Madrid had already pulled off thrilling comebacks at the Bernabeu against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 and Chelsea in the quarterfinals.

"I cannot say we are used to living this kind of life, but what happened tonight happened against Chelsea and also against Paris," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "If you have to say why, it is the history of this club that helps us to keep going when it seems that we are gone."

By doing it again against City, Madrid booked a spot in the May 28 final at Stade de France in Paris against Liverpool, which advanced after defeating Villarreal on Tuesday. Madrid defeated Liverpool in the 2018 final, when the Spanish giant clinched a record-extending 13th title.

"We have a score to settle," Liverpool forward Mo Salah said on Twitter after Madrid's win.

The result ended City's latest quest for its first Champions League trophy. Pep Guardiola's team lost in the final last year to Chelsea.

"We were close but at the end we could not reach (the final)," said Spaniard Guardiola.

Madrid looked defeated near the end of regulation before Rodrygo scored his goals two minutes apart. Riyad Mahrez had put City ahead in the 73rd but the Brazilian forward equalized in the 90th and got the go-ahead goal with a header a minute into stoppage time.

A few minutes before Rodrygo's first goal, Ferland Mendy had saved Madrid from conceding a second goal that could have sealed City's qualification by clearing the ball in front of the goal line while tumbling backward to keep an attempt by Jack Grealish from going in.

Moments later, Madrid keeper Courtois saved a Grealish shot with his foot.

Madrid carried all the momentum into extra time and Benzema gave the host a 3-1 lead by converting a 95th-minute penalty after he was fouled inside the area.

It was the 15th Champions League goal this season for Benzema, the competition's leading scorer. It was his 10th goal in the knockout stage alone, tying Cristiano Ronaldo's record for a single season.

Benzema had scored hat-tricks when Madrid rallied against both PSG and Chelsea. Madrid came back against PSG after losing the first leg in Paris and conceding early in the second leg at the Bernabeu. Against Chelsea, Madrid won the first match 3-1 but was down 3-0 in the second leg before rallying in extra time, when Benzema again scored the decisive goal.

Wednesday's game started tighter than last week's back-and-forth first leg in Manchester, but City eventually opened the scoring when Mahrez found the top corner with a firm left-footed one-timer from inside the area following a pass by Bernardo Silva, who attracted the Madrid defenders before feeding the ball to his teammate.

Mahrez had scored both of City's goals in the second leg of last season's semifinal against PSG. The Algerian became the first City player to score seven times in a single Champions League campaign.

Madrid had scored 22 goals in its last eight games in all competitions but struggled to get past the City defense.

Benzema set up Rodrygo's first goal from inside the area, and Marco Asensio flicked Dani Carvajal's cross for the Brazilian's stunning header in stoppage time.

Rodrygo had scored twice when Madrid clinched the Spanish league title in advance at the Bernabeu on Saturday, when celebrations went late into the evening with players and coach Ancelotti asking for the fans' support against City.

Madrid fans had already given their heroes a spectacular welcome as the team bus arrived at the stadium before the match on Wednesday, crowding the streets around the Bernabeu.

Agencies via Xinhua