Man City Fans Rip Into 'Worst Player' After Real Madrid Defeat in Champions League

Man City Fans Rip Into 'Worst Player' After Real Madrid Defeat in Champions League

  • Real Madrid fought back strongly on two occasions to stage yet another awesome comeback in the Champions League
  • Jude Bellingham and Brahim Diaz grabbed late goals to ensure the defending champions clinch a 3-2 win ahead of the second leg
  • Manchester City supporters took to social media to call out one player for criticism after the cagey encounter

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Manchester City fans voiced their frustration with one player after their 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League play-off first leg at the Etihad.

Erling Haaland gave City the lead in the 19th minute with a composed finish, marking the only goal of a tense first half.

However, a late Madrid comeback saw Pep Guardiola’s side fall short, leaving supporters disappointed.

Man City Fans Rip Into 'Worst Player' After Real Madrid Defeat in Champions League
The Premier League side surrendered a lead in the dying embers of the first leg of the Champions League play-off.
Source: Getty Images

Real Madrid stage a comeback

However, Kylian Mbappé equalised on the hour mark with an acrobatic volley past Ederson, per Yahoo Sports.

The hosts regained the advantage 20 minutes later when Phil Foden was fouled by Dani Ceballos in the box, allowing Haaland to convert the resulting penalty with ease.

Read also

Real Madrid coach names 2 players his team will need to 'finish' Man City in 2nd leg

City looked set for victory until Real Madrid staged a late comeback in dramatic fashion.

Brahim Diaz levelled the score in the 86th minute, and in stoppage time, Jude Bellingham capitalised on Vinicius Jr’s lobbed pass to slot home the winner, leaving Pep Guardiola stunned on the touchline.

Man City fans call out Rico Lewis

Throughout the match, City supporters singled out one player for criticism—Rico Lewis.

The 20-year-old replaced Manuel Akanji at halftime but struggled to contain Madrid’s attack.

He failed to clear a bouncing ball in the buildup to Vinicius Jr’s assist for the decisive goal, sparking backlash from fans online.

@MCFC_Jacky wrote:

"Rico Lewis is not Manchester city standard let’s be real."

@City_Chief said;

"Rico Lewis is simply not good enough for City—not even for 15 minutes. He struggles defensively and doesn’t offer enough going forward. Pep needs to stop forcing this experiment."

Read also

Thierry Henry Names the One Club That Can Stop Real Madrid from Winning the Champions League

@mxdric added:

"Rico Lewis, I swear, they will never ever convince me that you're good."

@City_Chief stated:

"Why put on Rico Lewis on when Khusanov is a much better defender and offers more pace. Another Pep disaster-class!"

With the second leg still to come, City will need to regroup quickly if they hope to overturn the deficit and keep their Champions League dreams alive.

Henry names Real Madrid's bogey side in UCL

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Thierry Henry believes that one top European side has the potential to stop Real Madrid from securing yet another Champions League title in the 2024/25 season.

The French legend is no stranger to Europe’s elite competition, having played in it 112 times across spells with Monaco, Arsenal, and Barcelona.

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Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Isaac Darko avatar

Isaac Darko (Sports Editor) Isaac Darko is a Sports Editor at Yen, boasting over 10 years of experience in the media industry. He has produced award-winning TV shows such as "Football 360" and "Sports XTRA" on ViaSat 1/Kwese TV. Isaac began his career as an Assistant Producer at TV3 Ghana Limited (Media General) and also contributed as a Writer and Weekend Editor for Pulse Ghana. He earned his bachelor's degree in Communication Studies from the Ghana Institute of Journalism (now University of Media, Arts and Communication). Email: isaac.darko@sportsbrief.com.

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