Advertisement

Real Madrid reaches Champions League final despite dreary semifinal (Video)

Sadly, there presently exists no mechanism for claiming compensation after being victimized by terrible games of soccer. If there were, Manchester City and Real Madrid would be inundated with requests after we were made to watch as the Spaniards claimed a 1-0 aggregate victory in their Champions League semifinal on Wednesday to book their rematch with cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid in the May 28 final.

[ Play Daily Fantasy Soccer | Champions League scores and schedule ]

After a dreary 0-0 stalemate in Manchester last week, the return match in Madrid wasn't a whole lot better. A deflected Gareth Bale cross – half shot, half cross – that was debited to Fernando as an own goal made the difference for the 10-time continental champions.

For some 180 minutes, spread across the ends of an eight-day stretch, these sides mostly demonstrated why they shouldn't play in the final in Milan. But somebody had to go in the end, and it was probably fitting that an own goal would decide the outcome.

But then that's perhaps a bit harsh to Real, which was a bit more interested in winning than City. In the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, the Blancos tried their best in the first game although they hadn't done much damage. And with their Portuguese superstar only just healed from an injury, Ronaldo wasn't as decisive as usual in the second game.

He headed a ball over early on that should have gone on target, and he would blow a glorious chance and then put an open header too close to City goalkeeper Joe Hart in the second half. But Bale, who was also the best man on the pitch in the first leg, would create enough chances this time around to put Real on the scoreboard.

In the 20th minute, after Man City captain and defensive rock Vincent Kompany stumbled off with yet another injury, the Welshman was played in on the right by Dani Carvajal. He took a look over his shoulder and whipped a shot/cross to the far corner of Hart's goal. It took a slight deflection off Fernando's desperate lunge before pinging off the top of the far post and in.

Fernando would be retroactively credited with the own goal, which was strange. The shot seemed to be on target regardless of his interference, meaning that by the rules it should've stood as a regular goal.

Regardless, Real Madrid would try to press on. And before halftime, it would have a goal disallowed. Bale floated in a long free kick to Pepe at the far post, but he was offside. So it didn't matter that Sergio Ramos poked the ball home.

At the other end, and completely against the run of play, Fernandinho pinged a shot off the near post on the brink of halftime.

As such, Bale's effort from distance earlier on was the only official shot on goal in the first half – since the own goal and the ball off the post don't count.

That changed quickly in the second half. Bale found Ronaldo, who got his finish all wrong, and then set up Luka Modric, who likewise wasted the chance. Bale then figured he'd just do it himself, but he headed a corner off the crossbar.

But Real wouldn't need another goal. Because City gave practically no evidence that it belonged at this stage of the continent's elite club tournament, let alone the final. Forwards Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne were utterly ineffectual – other than the former's lash in the 89th minute, which soared over Keylor Navas's goal by inches. All De Bruyne mustered was a late free kick into the side netting at the near side of the goal, ruining a rare chance.

And so the discourse turned back to the managers, since there was desperately little else to talk about. Zinedine Zidane, appointed as Rafa Benitez's successor in January, has dragged Real into its record 14th Champions League final in spite of having just spent four months in senior management. In the other dugout, Manuel Pellegrini's final season with City has crumbled since Pep Guardiola was announced as his successor on Feb. 1.

If there are any lessons in this mirthless contest at all, it is perhaps that if you're going to make a managerial change, it's best to make one straight away. Even if it's a temporary solution, as Zidane might well have been, had he not succeeded so spectacularly in such short order.

Or maybe there really is no wisdom to be gleaned from this tie. Only regret. That we devoted three hours of our lives to it.

Leander Schaerlaeckens is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @LeanderAlphabet.