Champions League Is Real Madrid's Natural Habitat

MADRID, THURSDAY — Appearing with almost the same lineup, but achieving a result that was 180 degrees different. This is the condition experienced by Real Madrid when facing Osasuna and Manchester City. "Los Blancos" struggled to conquer Osasuna, who are fighting in the middle of the Spanish League standings. However, when facing City in the second leg of the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, Real easily won 3-1 and had a convincing aggregate lead of 6-3.

This result confirms that the Champions League is indeed the home or natural habitat of Real. The success of advancing to the last 16 of the Champions League occurred just as the top position in the Spanish League standings was taken over by Barcelona. The tendency to perform powerfully in the Champions League but inconsistently in the Spanish League has been evident in at least the last four matches of "Los Blancos".

During that period, Real achieved two draws against Atletico Madrid and Osasuna, but managed to win in two encounters against City. In fact, Real's coach, Carlo Ancelotti, fielded an identical lineup in those four matches.

"We faced a team (City) that is very high quality up front and we found a balance between attack and defense. We are fighting for the Champions League and we have a chance to go far in this competition," said Ancelotti after facing City at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid, Spain, Thursday (20/2/2025) early morning WIB.

As a team with 15 Champions League titles, Real is very adept at and understands the atmosphere of the competition. There is even a growing understanding that Real was indeed formed to win in Europe. This refers to the actions of former Spanish dictator, General Francisco Franco, who used Real as his diplomatic tool.

During Franco's leadership, Real won five consecutive Champions League trophies (formerly the European Cup) from 1955 to 1960. By "dominating" Europe through Real, Franco could indirectly reflect to the outside world the image that Spain was a strong and prosperous country.

That tendency has been nurtured up to the present. Real's strong past in the European arena remains well-maintained, and Manchester City has just become its latest victim. Succeeding in a 3-2 victory at City's home ground, Real continued its dominance in the second meeting. Real's easy victory was somewhat unexpected because City had just shown signs of resurgence after a convincing 4-0 win over Newcastle United in the previous match.

“The best team won. They deserved it. This season we were not so good. I feel that, in previous seasons, we were better than Madrid, but this time not so. In this competition, quality always counts. This season Madrid were able to have the ball for long periods. They were dynamic, fast on the run and pressed well. What you have to do is accept it and move on,” said City manager Pep Guardiola.

Failure to advance to the knockout stages of the Champions League is the first time for Pep since taking charge of City in 2016. City last failed to qualify for the knockout stages in the 2012-2013 season or more than 10 years ago. As for Real, the success in qualifying for the group stage opens the way for them to defend their title. In the last 16, Real will face Atletico Madrid or Bayern Leverkusen. Real's potential opponents will be determined in the draw which will take place the following day.

Real's new striker, Kylian Mbappe, showed his brilliance in this match by scoring a hat-trick to give Real the win. This was Mbappe's second hat-trick for Real and his 21st in his career. This hat-trick felt even more special for Mbappe because it was created in front of Real supporters at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

After a slow start to the season due to the difference in playing positions at Paris Saint-Germain and Real, Mbappe has slowly started to feel comfortable being assigned as a center forward. City's high defensive line has become a soft target for Mbappe, who is strong in one-on-one duels.

Mbappe's first goal, in the 4th minute, came from a Raul Asencio cross that went straight past City's press block. Mbappe, with his speed and strength, won the ball with John Stones. City's goalkeeper, Ederson, had already moved forward, creating space that Mbappe used to score with a lob.

Mbappe extended Real's lead in the 33rd minute. His technique in outwitting City's defenders before scoring reminded the public of the figure of Mbappe who was so feared when he played for PSG. The way Mbappe scored a goal was thick with the image of a cold-blooded goal scorer.

Mbappe's third goal was also created with classy technique. Despite being blocked by several City defenders, Mbappe found shooting space and executed it very accurately. His hard, low kick failed to be anticipated by Ederson. City finally scored a consolation goal at the end of the match through a tap-in from Nico Gonzalez.

"I have said that I did not come here to play badly. The adaptation period is over. It is time for me to show myself. We have to keep working to win everything," Mbappe said. (REUTERS)