It was a damaging night for Premier League clubs, but for two English superstars there was further vindication over their decisions to move to big clubs abroad.
After Harry Kane helped Bayern Munich see off Arsenal, Jude Bellingham starred for Real Madrid as they ended Manchester City’s dream of a double-treble on a dramatic night at the Etihad.
Kane and Bellingham will now meet in a Champions League semi-final showdown as they bid to reach a Wembley final on June 1 — and take a step closer to a possible Ballon d’Or.
Kane, who left Tottenham for Bayern in a £100million deal last summer, said: “It will be another war against [Jude’s] team, but that is the experiences that we both went abroad to try to achieve, to play in these big nights and these big semi-finals.
“Is Wembley the dream? For both of us, for sure. With Wembley being our national stadium, it is extra motivation there for us. But there are two games ahead of us before that which are going to be really tough, so we have to focus on that.”
Bellingham was instrumental for Madrid on Wednesday night, pulling Dani Carvajal’s punt upfield out of the sky with the deftest of touches before bamboozling Rodri and Ruben Dias in the build-up to Rodrygo’s opener.
Kevin De Bruyne equalised late on but, after City dominated possession and had 33 attempts on goal, Madrid held on until the end of extra-time and won 4-3 in the penalty shootout.
Collision course: Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane will square off for a place in Wembley final (AP/Reuters)
After knocking out City, 14-time winners Madrid will be favourites against Bayern, and Bellingham insists they will be confident of setting up a London final with either Paris Saint-Germain or Borussia Dortmund.
“We are always confident in our own ability,” said Bellingham, who has been a revelation since joining the Spanish giants from Dortmund in a deal worth up to £115m last summer. “Everyone wrote us off, saying City were the favourites.
“I could never have dreamed of how it has started [at Madrid]. Not just the performances and the goals, but the feeling you get when you play for the club. Every day you put the badge on your chest, you are grateful to be there. Long may it continue and, hopefully, more nights like these.
“You have to see it more as responsibility than pressure. If you want to come to a club like this and take that step, you have to be willing to be criticised and be under the spotlight. If you are here, it probably means you can handle it.”
Kane said: “Jude has had a fantastic season, he is a top player, so I am really happy for him, but once we are on the pitch it is business.
“They are a big club with amazing history in the Champions League, so it is going to be really difficult for us, but that is what the semi-finals of the Champions League are all about, the biggest teams. It will be one to enjoy and I am sure there will be a lot of English fans watching both of us.”
For Kane, getting past Arsenal was extra sweet. “It feels amazing,” said the England captain. “It was a really tough tie. Credit to them, they put up a tough test, but we knew tonight we had an extra five per cent, which was the crowd behind us.
“We knew we could find a way to get through and that is what we did. The first half was a bit cagey, but in the second half we came out with a real intensity, had a few chances and we got the goal.”
