It was an evening to forget for Raphael Varane and Real Madrid as the Spanish club was defeated 2-1 (4-2 agg.) by Manchester City in the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg on Friday.
The scoreline matched that of February's first leg, but this time Madrid's woes could be easily centered on a single player, as Varane made two huge gaffes leading directly to both of City's goals. Early in the opening half, Varane and the Madrid backline seemed determined to keep possession at all costs, regardless of the high press employed by the home side to start the match. The dogmatic approach backfired when pressure from City forward Gabriel Jesus forced a turnover by Varane deep inside the Madrid end, allowing Jesus to slide the ball over to an awaiting Raheem Sterling for an easy finish inside the first 10 minutes of action.
Jesus would be the stuff of Varane's nightmares again in the 68th minute, as the Madrid defender failed to clear a searching ball and instead sent an ill-advised header back to his goalkeeper. The backpass was severely underhit, allowing a storming Jesus to chip the onrushing Thibaut Courtois and put the tie out of reach.
A well-taken 28th-minute goal by Karim Benzema gave the visitors life, but Varane's errors ultimately proved too costly for Madrid as Zinedine Zidane made his first-ever knockout round exit as manager.
DAZN provided live updates of all the action from Friday's match as it happened. Here's how it all went down.
Full time: Manchester City 2-1 Real Madrid (4-2 agg.)
(All times ET)
Second half
4:53 p.m.: And that's it! City moves on following a comfortable victory over Madrid.
4:52 p.m.: City content to just hold possession as this one looks academic.
4:49 p.m.: We're into the first of four minutes of stoppage time as Madrid needs two goals to move on.
4:47 p.m.: Substitution for Manchester City. Otamendi in for Rodri as Pep Guardiola looks to lock up this match.
4:44 p.m.: De Bruyne dancing in towards the Madrid goal, gets taken down just outside the area. David Silva steps up and kisses the outside of the upper-right corner.
4:41 p.m.: Triple substitution for Real Madrid. Vazquez, Jovic and Valerde in. Modric, Hazard and Carvajal out. Zidane throwing the kitchen sink at City for the final seven minutes.
4:40 p.m.: Substitution for Manchester City. Raheem Sterling exits and David Silva comes in. 80th minute.
4:33 p.m.: Jesus nearly gets another one as Madrid once again plays fast and loose at the back. Do you think Zinedine Zidane misses Sergio Ramos' experience right now?
4:31 p.m.: Big penalty shout after Sterling is upended inside the area. Ref waves play on.
4:27 p.m.: GOAL! Jesus takes advantage of yet another defensive error from Madrid as Varane tries to head back to his keeper after flubbing the initial clearance. The City striker makes no mistake in pouncing on the mistake, chipping past a helpless Courtois. City 2-1 Madrid (4-2 agg.)
4:26 p.m.: Substitution for Manchester City. Phil Foden makes way for Bernardo Silva in the 67th minute.
4:24 p.m.: Save! Courtois is now forced into action after City passes its way into the Madrid area, allowing Jesus to take aim at goal. The Madrid goalie does well to parry it over with both hands.
4:23 p.m.: Shot! Benzema gets off a low strike from 22 yards out that is gobbled up by Ederson. Nothing out of the ordinary for the City 'keeper, but Madrid's starting to show signs of life again.
4:20 p.m.: Substitution for Real Madrid. Marco Asensio comes in for Rodrygo in the 61st minute.
4:16 p.m.: Half-hearted penalty shout from the City players after De Bruyne is tackled by Carvajal inside the area. It was never a penalty, though.
4:13 p.m.: Stop us if you're read this already, but Courtois just stopped Sterling from scoring following a poor giveaway by Madrid. Teams cannot keep switching off like that at this level without being punished for too long.
4:11 p.m.: Madrid's finding some space down the right side, but nothing too inviting.
4:05 p.m.: Save! An unreal cutting pass from De Bruyne sends Sterling in on goal, but the City goalkeeper stands tall to parry it away with this right hand. KDB's passing has been on point all match long.
4:04 p.m.: We're back underway for a final 45 minutes that promises to be fantastic. No subs for either side just yet. City 1-1 Madrid (3-2 agg.)
First half
3:47 p.m.: The referee blows the whistle for halftime after just one added minute. That was an entertaining half of football.
3:46 p.m.: De Bruyne with the cheeky corner kick that nearly caught Courtois at the near post. That would've been spectacular had it gone in.
3:43 p.m.: Close! Courtois gives the ball away with a poor clearance and City pounces, with Foden's quick attempt from the top of the box going just wide.
3:38 p.m.: Save! Courtois gets down quickly to stop a low drive after Cancelo sliced through the left side.
3:35 p.m.: Play is a lot more even now as Madrid has figured out how to deal with City's pressing. There's been some lovely interplay between Hazard and his fellow attackers over the last few moments.
3:29 p.m.: ⚽️ GOAL! Benzema nods home from in close after a well-worked Madrid attack down the right flank culminates in a sweet chip from Rodrygo to the front man. The visitors have shown life over the past 10 minutes and have been rewarded aptly. Game on! City 1-1 Madrid (3-2 agg.)
3:22 p.m. ET: Chances! Madrid finally get a pair of good opportunities as Benzema collects at the top of the penalty area, turns, and fires a hard shot that forces a good save from Ederson. The ensuing corner kick sees Hazard also stopped cleanly by the City 'keeper.
3:19 p.m. ET: Huge tackle! Casemiro makes a picture-perfect sliding challenge to stop a surefire Sterling chance inside the 6-yard box. That could be game-changing.
3:16 p.m. ET: Chance! De Bruyne finds Sterling at the top of the box, and the striker hits a shot that is just too high.
3:12 p.m. ET: Madrid's all out of sorts now as City keeps pouring forward. A couple of key goalmouth blocks were all that stopped the home side from going up by two.
3:09 p.m. ET: ⚽️ GOAL! Sterling turns the ball into the net after a terrible giveaway by Varane allows Jesus to slide the ball over to his prolific teammate. Madrid trying too hard to play out of the back. City 1-0 Madrid (3-1 agg.)
3:08 p.m. ET: De Bruyne gets the first shot of the game, a 25-yard effort that's blasted off the back of a defender and out for a corner. City isn't able to do anything with the set-piece.
3:05 p.m. ET: The customary feeling out process between the two teams has begun. Both sides are comfortable stroking it around the back in order to get some touches in.
3:01 p.m. ET: And we're underway!
Pre-match
The sweetest song we've heard in months!
Here's how the teams will line up: