Overview
- Rodrygo put Madrid ahead before Nico O'Reilly leveled and Erling Haaland converted a VAR‑awarded penalty for the winner after referee Clément Turpin reviewed Antonio Rüdiger's foul.
- The result moved City up to fourth in the Champions League phase table and dropped Madrid to seventh, with Arsenal remaining perfect at the top.
- Club reporting indicates Madrid's hierarchy will retain Alonso for the moment, with his status to be judged across the upcoming fixtures.
- Rodrygo ended an approximately nine‑month scoring drought and received post‑match praise from Pep Guardiola, who called him a player of another level.
- Spanish analysis cited a poor Thibaut Courtois clearance and Rüdiger's shirt pull as decisive mistakes, as the setback followed a 2-0 home loss to Celta de Vigo with Kylian Mbappé unavailable.