MX23RW : Thursday, October 31 22:56:41| >> :60:2661:2661:

Half-Time Report: Karim Benzema strike gives Real Madrid lead

Karim Benzema's early strike gives Real Madrid a half-time lead against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City's Champions League hopes are fading after falling behind to a Karim Benzema goal at the Etihad Stadium.

Karim Benzema scores the opener for Real Madrid past Joe Hart on November 21, 2012© PA Photos

The match started evenly but it was the visitors who took the lead in the 10th minute with their first chance of the contest.

Angel di Maria found space on the wing to deliver an inviting cross towards the back post, which allowed Benzema to convert the ball past Joe Hart thanks to some slack marking from the City defence.

Sami Khedira then had two chances in as many minutes to double his side's advantage but the midfielder missed the target on both occasions from inside the area.

Madrid continued to dominate and Cristiano Ronaldo had his first opportunity of the game when he was put through on goal by Benzema but the Portuguese forward's chip was cleared off the line by Matija Nastasic before seeing his second effort blocked.

A rare chance for the hosts fell to Sergio Aguero but Iker Casillas reacted well to tip the striker's curling effort over the crossbar.

Khedira proved to be wasteful in front of goal once again when he broke free of the City defence only to direct his attempted chip straight at the body of Hart.

ID:55726: cacheID:55726:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3208:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Roberto Mancini
Read Next:
Live Commentary: Man City 1-1 Madrid - as it happened
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City97202091123
2Liverpool97111751222
3Arsenal95311710718
4Aston Villa95311611518
5Chelsea95221911817
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton94411612416
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest9441117416
8Tottenham HotspurSpurs94141810813
9Brentford94141818013
10Fulham93331212012
11Bournemouth93331111012
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle9333910-112
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham93241316-311
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd9324811-311
15Leicester CityLeicester92341317-49
16Everton92341016-69
17Crystal Palace9135611-56
18Ipswich TownIpswich9045920-114
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves90271225-132
20Southampton9018619-131


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!