League Round of 16 | Manchester City clearly wins in Copenhagen, and Real Madrid narrowly wins in Leipzig

Manchester City and Real Madrid appear to be living up to their role as favorites to win the Champions League Round of 16. The English had the upper hand 3-1 in the first leg against FC Copenhagen, which surprisingly participated in the knockout stage, on Tuesday. The Spaniards beat RB Leipzig 1-0 away without ÖFB star David Alaba, who has a long-term knee injury. Of the ÖFB players, only Xaver Schlager played for the Germans. The return match will be held on March 6 (9 pm).

Copenhagen eliminated Manchester United from the competition in the group stage. This feat is unlikely to be repeated against local rivals. It is clear that Pep Guardiola's side dominated the game in Denmark and were also able to look forward to a great start. After Foden's pass, Kevin De Bruyne deliberately shot the ball into the far corner (tenth). Copenhagen goalkeeper Camil Grabara was able to prevent the score from turning the score to 0-2 (23rd place) with a ball that hit the crossbar.

The guests continue to set the tone

Copenhagen scored their first goal only in the 34th minute and succeeded against the run of the match. A perfect pass from goalkeeper Ederson to Copenhagen striker Mohamed Elyounoussi started the match. His shot remained blocked, but Magnus Mattsson shot the ball into the net from outside the penalty area on his second attempt (34). Nothing changed in the game, as the visitors continued to find the pace and took the lead again before the half-time whistle. Bernardo Silva sent the ball accurately into the corner with his left outer instep after receiving pressure balls from De Bruyne (45+1).

After the break, Erling Haaland was supposed to increase his chances, but goal number three came only in stoppage time by Foden (92), who had no difficulty in finishing the match after De Bruyne's preparatory work. 26:4 shots and a ball possession ratio of 75:25 demonstrate Manchester City's clear superiority.

Hit Cisco did not give

Everything could have been very different in Leipzig if former Salzburg player Benjamin Sisko's header had not been disallowed after less than two minutes. Sisco (3rd, 10th, 20th) was also dangerous three other times. Real Madrid could not shine before the end of the first half. Eduardo Camavinga's shot (9th) and Rodrigo's chances (23rd and 42nd minutes) were the only notable scenes in the attack.

At the beginning of the second half, a genius shot by Brahim Diaz scored the decisive goal. The 24-year-old Spaniard, who replaced the injured Jude Bellingham, was unable to stop him in a brilliant individual effort by four Leipzig players, including Schlager. Otherwise, Real became very dangerous when Vinicos Junior's shot hit the post (72'). Regardless, Leipzig would have got a point. Once again, Cisco and Amadou Haidara failed to equalize.