Manchester City were defeated 3-2 by Real Madrid in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League playoff tie and will need to turn things around next week if they are to remain in Europe's biggest competition.
A standout fixture during these last few years came around very early this time around, as Manchester City and Real Madrid were drawn against each other for the playoffs.
The build-up to this match was nothing short of exciting and the 90 minutes itself did not disappoint in living up to its' hype. Two very intense halfs were played to determine who would walk away with the lead for the second leg.
Besides anticipation coming from the fact these two clubs have almost become some sort of rivalry derby, we've also seen the drama from Madrid when the Ballon d'Or was awarded to Rodri instead of Vincius Jr. This added another layer of tension to this encounter.
For the first time since participating in this match-up, Erling Haaland got his name on the scoresheet in the18th minute to give Manchester City a much-needed 1-0 lead.
The first half saw only one goal, which fell for the Sky Blues, but the second half was no short of them.
In the 60th minute, Real Madrid were awarded a free-kick and while City were managed to defend against that, Madrid still remained in possession which led to Kylian Mbappe kicking in the ball which resulted in an equaliser.
Now at 1-1, City needed to prevent what they always did: completely let any chance of gaining something slip away. And luckily for them, they were presented with an incredible opportunity as the referee decided a penalty was the correct decision for City after a foul on Phil Foden. Erling Haaland stepped up to the spot and scored the third goal of the game, giving City a 2-1 lead with only 10 minutes to go.
Only six minutes later, substitute Brahim Diaz burst onto the pitch and went on to diminish City's 2-1 lead. The Cityzens' aim probably then would have been to defend and end the game with a 2-2 draw.
But, in true Real Madrid style, it wasn't over until the whistle rang, and they did that once again as Jude Bellignahm tucked away a rather easy chance in front of him and made it 3-2 to the La Liga side.
Manchester City now have an even bigger task ahead of them, as they must overturn a first-leg defeat when they meet again next week. If they cannot, they are out of this season's Champions League before the round of 16 has even begun.
Pep Guardiola post-match thoughts
"It's the fourth time we played in a row against Madrid and in the three previous we were much, much better than them but today was tight and in certain times they had chances and Ederson was our best player. Sometimes it happens that a team is better and the result doesn't work."
"After it was 2-1 but it happened too much this season, in many games it's happened, against Feyenoord, Sporting Lisbon, Brentford in the Premier League, Man United, many games we gave away."
"We have to look at ourselves and at this level, it's so difficult. It's not the first time unfortunately it happened many times and that's why it's so difficult."
"There are many good things. We know who we are playing. But the result is what it is and that is why we're here. Of course, we did many good things but things can improve.
"Always I give credit to the opponent for the quality that they have. But when you arrive at the result at the end, it's tough."