Manchester City and Real Madrid kicked off the UEFA Champions League round of 16 with wins on Tuesday, but take only narrow leads in their respective matchups against Copenhagen and RB Leipzig.
City emerged 3-1 winners over FC Copenhagen with Kevin de Bruyne giving Pep Guardiola’s side an early lead. It looked like they would go on to claim a big win as the hosts barely laid a glove on them. But Ederson gifted the ball straight to Copenhagen with a poor clearance and Magnus Mattsson took full advantage with a fantastic strike.
Bernardo Silva put Manchester City ahead again just before half-time with a clever flick after a ball from De Bruyne deflected through to him. De Bruyne and Erling Haaland had further chances to add to the lead after the break and, although City were not quite at their attacking best, they ensured they left with a two-goal cushion thanks to Phil Foden’s late strike.
Things were more competitive in Leipzig, where the hosts lost 1-0 to Real Madrid. Brahim Diaz’s stunning individual effort in the 48th minute and a batch of saves from goalkeeper Andriy Lunin meant the visitors would come out on top.
The second leg of these ties will take place on March 6, but the Champions League round of 16 will continue with several matchups in between now and then, including Paris Saint-Germain’s clash with Real Sociedad and Bayern Munich’s faceoff with Lazio tomorrow.
