Real Madrid wasn’t supposed to win on Wednesday night. Even though they had produced magic in the UEFA Champions League prior to their meeting with Manchester City, no one expected them to do it again. In front of their home faithful, however, they pulled off another incredible mistake. And this one was even more unbelievable than the others. City led 4-3 on aggregate ahead of the game, and they went up 5-3 overall when Riyad Mahrez scored after 73 minutes to surely send City to Paris for the final. That wasn’t meant to be, though as Los Blancos pulled off a stunning comeback with two goals in less than two minutes from young star Rodrygo to even up the series on aggregate at five apiece.
That sent the game to extra time, and Real, with the momentum, would earn a penalty that Karim Benzema, who else, dispatched in the 95th minute. They would hang onto the 6-5 aggregate edge (and 3-1 lead on the night) to win the game and book their place in the final against Liverpool later this month. Elsewhere, there was another Champions League taking place on Wednesday evening, and this one was in North America as the CONCACAF’s version came to an end with history being made. The Seattle Sounders had gone to Mexico last week and secured a 2-2 draw with Pumas, and they completed the job in the Pacific Northwest with a 3-0 win in the second leg to become the first MLS side to win the competition in over two decades. Raul Ruidiaz (with goals in the 45th and 80th minutes) had a double while Nicolas Lodeiro, the hero of the first leg, had an 88th-minute strike to seal it. They did it in front of a record crowd for the competition, too- over 68,000- and this win means they not only have the bragging rights that come with the trophy but they also will head to the Club World Cup as well.
