Manchester City secured a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final clash at the Santiago Bernabeu.
After finding themselves 1-0 down in the first half thanks to a sumptuous strike from Vinicius Junior, Pep Guardiola’s side managed to find an equaliser in the second period thanks to an equally emphatic goal from Kevin De Bruyne.
While the Belgian once again showed how pivotal he can be on the big occasions, another figure in City’s side stood up and delivered a crucial performance – Ruben Dias.
Faced with the tough task of keeping the likes of Vinicius, Karim Benzema and Rodrygo quiet for 90 minutes, the defender was a rock at the back for the travelling Premier League champions.
In addition to making a vital interception in the first half to stop Benzema having a tap in following a cross from Vinicius, Dias showed throughout the entire 90 minutes how much of an unflappable centre-back he is.
A solid display
Across the match, the Portuguese international won four tackles in total as well as making two interceptions, two clearances and blocked one shot.
The £180k-per-week centre-half also ended up winning five of the seven duels he was involved in, as well as showing how comfortable he can be in possession in one of the biggest games of the season.
Specifically, with 94 touches of the ball in total, Dias accurately completed 80 of the 84 passes he attempted, leaving him with the joint-highest passing accuracy percentage in the team (95%).
Sky Sports also picked up on the 25-year-old’s efforts by saying in their player ratings article that he “produced a captain’s display to help City keep Real’s chances to a bare minimum with a big display at the back.”
Overall, while De Bruyne will undoubtedly get the plaudits for the goal he scored to level the playing field for City, it was Dias who Guardiola can thank for making sure Madrid didn’t head into next week’s second-leg clash with a victory.
