Mesut Ozil Real Madrid are seen as the team most likely to win this year’s Champions League tournament after their dramatic win over the reigning champions Manchester City.
Rodrygo scored 12 minutes into the second leg of the quarter-final, giving Madrid the advantage in Manchester following a thrilling 3-3 draw at the Bernabeu.
Kevin De Bruyne, who is often City’s main player, took advantage of a poor clearance from Antonio Rudiger to push the match into extra time, eventually leading to a penalty shootout to decide the result.
Despite Luka Modric missing his penalty, Andriy Lunin saved shots from both Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic before Rudiger converted the winning penalty, sending Madrid’s traveling fans into celebration.
Following important league games against Barcelona and Real Sociedad, Carlo Ancelotti’s team will face Bayern Munich in the first leg of what is expected to be an intriguing match on April 30.
In the other semi-final this year, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund will face off after overcoming deficits in the first leg against Barcelona and Atletico Madrid to advance in the competition.
When asked about Wednesday’s match at the Etihad, former Madrid player Ozil stated Marca: ‘It was a fantastic battle. City displayed why they are a force to be reckoned with. They were in control of the game for most, if not all, of the time.
‘But Madrid was very clever, as usual. They defended very effectively.
‘I yelled, “Hala Madrid!”, after Toni Rudiger’s penalty, so you can imagine how I experienced it. It was very thrilling.
‘I think that now Real Madrid is the top contender. I believe they can win the Champions League.’
Ozil has been impressed by Jude Bellingham’s first season in Madrid, though he feels the English talent has shown signs of fatigue lately.
‘His first half of the season was remarkable and left everyone speechless,’ the former Arsenal midfielder stated.
‘The last few weeks he has seemed a little tired, but if he wins La Liga, the Champions League and Euro 2024 then he could be a candidate for the Ballon d’Or.
‘He is still very young, it’s incredible.’
Ozil believes Madrid defender Rudiger – his former teammate with Germany – deserves huge credit for how he dealt with Erling Haaland in Manchester.
‘He is having an exceptional season. I mean… which defender has had a better season in Europe than him? He was also the difference in the matches against Manchester City,’ Ozil added.
‘He didn’t start in the second leg last season and they lost 0-4.
‘In this week’s game at the Etihad, Haaland was constantly seeking out Nacho to avoid engaging in any one-on-one battles with Toni! That’s the key information.
‘Haaland is also at the top level, no doubt. But Toni’s mindset is amazing.’
