Manchester City denied Real Madrid a priceless advantage in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final, coming from behind to salvage a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu.
A first-half smash-and-grab display from the reigning champions would seemingly pay dividends, as they absorbed copious amounts of pressure before drawing first blood through a Vinicius Junior effort.
However, an equally exquisite strike from Kevin De Bruyne pegged Los Blancos back in the second half, setting up a tantalising return leg at the Etihad Stadium next Wednesday.
The home faithful's frustrations were evident in the opening exchanges, as Real were more than happy to let Man City knock the ball about in and around the final third while stifling their visitors' creativity.
Thibaut Courtois was still forced into action on a couple of occasions, though, as an eighth-minute De Bruyne strike came in at a good height for his Belgian teammate to palm the ball away.
With Erling Braut Haaland being effectively marshalled and receiving little service, City were restricted to another long-range effort from Rodri in the 14th minute, although Courtois had to get down to his right to turn his fierce effort behind for a corner.
Despite the visitors' incessant pressure, Carlo Ancelotti remained the calmest man in the ground, and his side were agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock against the run of play in the 25th minute.
Rodri was caught in possession high up the pitch by Vinicius, who tried to pick out Karim Benzema inside the six-yard box, but Ruben Dias produced a terrific sliding interception to prevent a certain goal.
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However, there was little that Dias or any man in red and black could have done about a thunderous Vinicius opener in the 36th minute, as Eduardo Camavinga linked up neatly with Luka Modric before charging upfield and laying off the Brazilian, who unleashed a sumptuous strike into the top corner from 25 yards.
In typical Real Madrid fashion, the holders punished Man City's largely passive play in possession with just one scintillating sequence, and Pep Guardiola's side spent the early stages of the second half doing much more defending than attacking.
The Citizens were not overly perturbed by Real's pressure, though, offering Ederson adequate protection while surviving a couple of half-hearted penalty appeals for handball, albeit while looking unlikely to threaten Courtois at the other end.
However, as was the case in the first half, a moment of individual brilliance cancelled out one team's dominance, as Ilkay Gundogan held the ball up well on the edge of the box and teed up De Bruyne to drill home a rocket of a strike into the bottom corner with 67 minutes gone.
Barring one smart Ederson save from a Benzema header in the 78th minute, Man City began to dictate proceedings once again as the game entered its final knockings, although Courtois was left with little to do thanks to an organisational masterclass.
There was time for substitute Aurelien Tchouameni to test Ederson with another powerful long-range drive in the 90th minute, but City would leave the Spanish capital satisfied with their night's work.
Prior to Wednesday's winner-takes-all tie in Manchester, Real Madrid host Getafe in Saturday's La Liga contest, while Man City travel to Everton in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Ben Knapton
