Manchester City, under Pep Guardiola, successfully ousted the defending champions, Real Madrid, with a total aggregate score of 4-2 this past Friday. This defeat effectively ends the season's ambitions for the Spanish side. City proved too strong in both matchups, securing a convincing win that Guardiola has coveted since joining the club four years ago. The English side played with impressive precision and coordination throughout. For Real Madrid, it is a rare blow, marking their first group-stage exit in four seasons. They now leave the stage as Manchester City advances to meet Lyon in the quarter-finals on August 16.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City dethroned defending champions Real Madrid on Friday with an aggregate score of 4-2. The current season’s campaign comes very much to an end for Los Blancos with this defeat. Man City has registered a resounding victory over the Spanish giants in both the leg of this tournament. Defeating Real Madrid in the European stage was one of Guardiola’s desire since taking over at the Etihad Stadium four years back. The city was spot on from the start displayed good coordination, sharpness and discipline. This is the first time for Real Madrid in the past four seasons to get eliminated at the group stage. Manchester City will face Lyon on August 16 in the quarter-final match.
Olympique Lyon has secured a spot in the knockouts despite a loss to Juventus. While Juventus took the game 2-1—driven by two goals from Ronaldo—the result wasn't enough to see them through. Because the aggregate score was level, Lyon progressed via the away goals rule. Manager Garcia reflected on the irony of the situation, describing the loss as the most joyful of his professional life. The disappointment hit Juventus hard; within hours of the exit, the club parted ways with Sarri and named Andrea Pirlo as their new manager on a two-year deal.
The action continued the next day as Napoli took on Barcelona. After a 1-1 draw in the first leg, Barcelona regained their dominance, winning the second encounter 3-1. Early goals from Lenglet and Messi shifted the aggregate lead in Barca's favor. The lead grew when a VAR review flagged a foul by Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly on Messi, resulting in a penalty. Luis Suarez stepped up to convert the spot-kick just before halftime. This convincing performance should provide some much-needed breathing room for manager Quique Setien.
Similarly, Bayern Munich cruised into the next round after a dominant 4-1 win over Chelsea at the Allianz Arena. Robert Lewandowski continued his incredible scoring streak, netting twice to bring his season total to 53 goals. The German side completely overwhelmed the London club over two legs, finishing with a staggering 7-1 aggregate score. Bayern's reward is a high-profile quarter-final showdown against Barcelona later this week.