The semifinals are keenly poised after they got underway with a bang courtesy of 2 thrilling first legs, with all 4 teams still in with a shot at running out at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul.
Real Madrid and Manchester City kicked off semifinal proceedings on Tuesday at the Santiago Bernabeu. The honours were even after a thoroughly entertaining 1-1 draw in the Spanish capital. Vinicius Jr. gave Los Blancos the lead with a stunning effort from 20 yards, before Kevin De Bruyne replied with a venomous strike of his own from a similar distance.
The away goals rule is no longer in effect, so the 2 sides are level going into the second leg at the Etihad Stadium on 17 May. Defending champions Real are bidding to win this competition for the 6th time since 2014 and a record 15th time overall, while City are still chasing their first title. For Sky Blues boss Pep Guardiola – considered by many the best coach in world football – it would also mark his first success in the competition since 2011.
Official tickets for the second leg are sold out, but resale is still available from GBP £338.
Meanwhile, Inter Milan will take a 2-0 lead in the second leg of their semifinal with bitter rivals AC Milan. The Nerazzurri have had the better of their recent head-to-head record, and so it proved again at the San Siro on Wednesday as they struck twice in the opening 11 minutes through Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to take control of the tie.
Although it’s advantage Inter in this 2-legged Derby della Madonnina, a 2-0 lead is hardly insurmountable in the Champions League – after all, in recent memory we’ve seen Barcelona overcome a 4-0 deficit against Paris Saint-Germain and both Liverpool and Roma overcome 3-0 and 4-1 deficits, respectively against Barca.
Remaining tickets for the semifinal on 16 May start at EUR €129.
Regardless of who goes through in each tie, we’re set for a truly mouth-watering final in June. Tickets will go on sale through the qualifying clubs once the second legs are played, but if you can’t wait to secure your place at the final, you can purchase official UEFA hospitality from €3,900, while resale starts from €4,900.
For more information on the Champions League final and the tickets available, click here.
