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April 26 (UPI) -- Manchester City earned a dramatic 4-3 win over Real Madrid on Tuesday at Etihad Stadium in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal matchup. Kevin De Bruyne quickly put City ahead and the Premier League club never looked back in the thrilling seven-goal affair. The two sides will meet again in the return leg at the Santiago Bernabéu on May 4 for a spot in the UCL final.
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De Bruyne scored a header inside two minutes to give City an early 1-0 lead in the match. According to ESPN Stats & Information, his goal at the 1:35 mark is the quickest ever scored in a Champions League semifinal.
Shortly after, Gabriel Jesus doubled City's lead on 11 minutes. The crafty forward turned Madrid defender David Alaba on the edge of the box before firing a shot past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Madrid striker Karim Benzema finished a perfect volley in the 33rd minute to snatch a goal back, but City continued to take advantage of Madrid's lackluster defensive play in the second half.
City's Phil Foden scored a header in the opening minutes of the second to restore his club's two-goal advantage. Just minutes later, however, Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. raced down the left flank and scored to cut the deficit back to a single goal.
Midfielder Bernardo Silva gave City some breathing room again when he scored from just inside the box in the 74th minute.
Madrid responded in the 82nd minute when a handball from defender Aymeric Laporte handed Benzema a penalty shot, which he easily converted against Ederson. Real Madrid, though, was unable to pull any closer.
"Manchester City are a team that play very good football," Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti told reporters. "We competed. ... The good thing is we scored three, but the bad thing is we conceded four."
