The Etihad Stadium was stunned into silence after just 20 minutes when Bernardo Silva was shown a straight red card in a moment of pure chaos. Real Madrid, already leading 3-0 on aggregate from the first leg, broke forward with devastating speed when Vinicius Jr raced behind the City backline and struck the post with a fierce right-footed effort. As the ball stayed in play, the Brazilian followed up his own shot, but his goalbound effort was blocked on the line by the arm of Silva.
Refereeing officials took their time to review the incident via VAR, checking both a potential offside in the build-up and the handball itself. Ultimately, the decision was terminal for Pep Guardiola’s side. The handball was deemed deliberate, resulting in a dismissal for the Portuguese international and a penalty for the visitors.