This archive report was first published on 8 August 2020.
On August 7, 2020, Jordanians watched the Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg - Manchester City v Real Madrid match at a public cafe after the government eased the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions in Amman, Jordan.
Manchester City secured a 4-2 aggregate victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16, advancing to the quarter-finals with a 2-1 win in the second leg.
The match was played at The Etihad, where Real Madrid was without suspended skipper and defensive lynchpin Sergio Ramos. This absence was evident in the team's shaky defense throughout the game.
Manchester City's confidence and focus were evident as they avoided the defensive lapses that have cost them in previous knockout stages. Instead, it was Real Madrid who exposed their frailty at the back without Ramos, making a disastrous start and gifting City a ninth-minute opener.
French international Raphael Varane, having received a pass inside his own area from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, was robbed by Gabriel Jesus and the striker slipped the ball to Raheem Sterling who slotted home his 100th goal for the club.
Real Madrid responded strongly, urged on by Ramos from the stands, with City keeper Ederson forced into fine saves to keep out efforts from Karim Benzema and Eden Hazard. However, Ederson could do nothing to stop a bullet header from Benzema in the 28th minute.
City created plenty more chances after the break but lacked the killer touch. It took another piece of calamitous defending by Varane to decide the tie in the 68th minute. Having initially failed to head clear a long ball, Varane's attempted header back to Courtois was too weak and Jesus was alert again, nipping in to flick it past the Belgian keeper and make the score 2-1 on the night.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola noted the significance of the victory, saying, "It is important. We beat them twice. Zinedine Zidane never lost a knockout game. You see the calm and personality they play with, they are good."
Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane said his side's loss had to be put in the context of their domestic title-winning campaign, stating, "We are proud of what we achieved this season, this is football. We lost to a good team and have to accept it."
