Pep Guardiola’s men did not take long to get going in the semifinal of the Champions League, first leg at the Etihad.
De Bruyne, who has been one of the club’s best players this season, directed a header past Los Blancos goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois with just 94 seconds left after a precise cross from Riyad Mahrez.
94 SECONDS ON THE CLOCK! ⚡️
Riyad Mahrez with an incredible delivery and Kevin De Bruyne with an expertly guided header 🎯
An incredible start for Man City!#UCL pic.twitter.com/nuiF7OqsXb
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 26, 2022
Moments after De Bruyne found the back of the net, former City defender Micah Richards produced a save Courtois would have been proud of.
The 33-year-old man was having a large cup of tea while on duty as an expert for CBS Sports But that didn’t stop him from celebrating.
And as the former England international shouted the study, a stray piece of pasta tried to escape, a moment that was later analyzed by pundit Jamie Carragher. It was a great viewing.
Carragher said: “Listen, this needs to be looked at. When we talk about some of the technicians we had on the show today: [Toni] kroos, [Luka] modric, [Kevin] DeBruyne, [Bernardo] Silva… no one produced a better first touch and control of a situation than Micah Richards with pasta.
“Look at this here… He thinks he’s lost it, mishandled it… but then look at this!
“Forget Luka Modric, we have Micah! Big Meeks is back!”
Online fans loved the segment. One said: “The most contagious laugh ever. @MicahRichards producing class moments again what a guy,” while another wrote: “Funniest thing I’ve seen all week.”
A third commented, “Honestly the highlight of my weeks is this panel at CL nights! Amazing fun chemistry between Carragher, Henry and Richards and really, really good insight into each.”
“Regardless of the result, if it was 2-0 or 3-0 we would still have to go to the Bernabéu and play well. If we play like we did in the second half, we won’t be able to win”, he said after the final whistle.
“If we play like we did in other periods, we will. We want to be there to put on a good show, that’s what I want to tell my players to do, don’t think about anything else.”
“When I became a footballer and a coach, when you go to the Bernabéu you have to perform like yourself or there is no chance of winning. You have to overcome these situations to win the Champions League.”
“For us, for Manchester City, we are very proud.”
“All we can do is act like we did… I can’t ask for anything more.”
“Football is a fantastic show… Congratulations to Carlo Ancelotti.”
Even Pep Guardiola can’t forget how good that game was! 💯
🎙 @TheDesKelly pic.twitter.com/kKcMXNK0zU
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 26, 2022
However, how good was that Carragher analysis?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments.