Madrid’s season is wobbling again and the Bernabéu made sure everyone, especially Xabi Alonso, felt it.
With pressure mounting around his future, Alonso stood helpless on the touchline as Real Madrid slipped to a 2–1 defeat against Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
For a brief moment the evening felt different. Rodrygo, who had not scored since early March, finally remembered what a goal looked like and finished sharply after a flowing move started by Álvaro Carreras and Jude Bellingham. Vinicius Jr had already torn into City’s defence inside the opening minutes and Madrid looked alive in a way they have not for weeks.
Then the spell broke. Madrid collapsed near the end of the first half and City punished them with clinical cruelty. Nico O’Reilly reacted fastest after Thibaut Courtois pushed out Joško Gvardiol’s header, smashing in the equaliser from close range. With the Bernabéu still grumbling about slack defending, VAR handed City a late penalty after Antonio Rüdiger was caught grappling with Erling Haaland. The striker sent Courtois the wrong way and the mood in the stadium sank even further.
Madrid had their chances after the break but finishing deserted them. The crowd responded with the familiar chorus of whistles as the reality of their form set in. Madrid have dropped points in six of their last eight matches across competitions and now sit seventh in the Champions League league phase. City, meanwhile, climb to fourth and look far more assured.
The absence of Kylian Mbappé hung over the night. He had carried the scoring burden in Europe this season and without him Madrid looked strangely unsure. Vinicius Jr tried to fill the void with a blistering start and Rodrygo offered a reminder of his quality, but it was not enough.
The result leaves Alonso exposed. At the biggest club in the world, patience is an endangered species and the questions about his future will only grow louder after another misstep.
