Two exceptional yet flaky teams, with ludicrous attacks, startling individuals, and revolting defences, and the semi-finals of the European Cup. This can only be brilliant.

So, that was something of a disappointment; surely the second leg will have to be better. Anyway thanks for your company - night-night.

Manchester City 0-0 Real Madrid. That was about all that game deserved.

City release De Bruyne, tearing around Carvajal - for the split second it takes for him to be fouled. Carvajal is booked, and De Bruyne stands over the free-kick, just outside the left corner of the box. He bends in a nasty one, but Navas is right underneath, and tips over the top. The corner comes to nowt.

"They've got it in them, in every sense of the word, to go to Madrid and score."

There shall be two added minutes.

Aguero breaks, just left of centre, and transfers the ball right to Sterling, haring through the middle. But, ust when he thinks there's space, there isn't; Pepe charges across of thunks clear.

Isco replaces Kroos, as thrilling an event as we've been treated to this evening.

City have been very disappointing - I wonder if they might push Iheanacho higher up the pitch alongside Aguero

Madrid win a free-kick just outside the box, left corner, and Bale, Ramos and Kroos wait. Bale it is who advances and cracks into Kompany's ubiquitous forehead. This earns a corner, and after a near-post kerfuffle, the ball breaks to Pepe, four yards out, dead centre. He immediately imparts laces, but right at the diving Hart - that's a brilliant save.

Bale spins superbly and loses Kompany 30 yards from goal; he's summarily dragged down. But to Zidane's chagrin - now there's an unlikely rhyme for you - the ref says no free-kick. Madrid, though, force a corner from the left which picks out Casemiro, who's flicked header towards the near post is very well saved by Hart's trailing leg.

Navas departs, Sterling arrives.

Madrid are coming now, and Kroos, moving centre to right, turns superbly and finds Bale, who loses Kompany in the twinkling of a stepover. Then he comes back inside to open the angle for a curler, which is low but slow, drifting wide without mithering Hart.

On the plus side, it's pretty rare to see two talented sides play this miserably.

City box Madrid in the right corner of their own half, but Modric, Kroos and Carvajal combine superbly to escape. Madrid build an attack, and eventually Carvajal's cross from the right finds Jese at the near post - he flicks his neck hard, and loops a header that clips the bar. Had it not, Hart was there in plenty of time to tip over.

BREAKING NEWS:

City get the ball down the end they're attacking and find Navas on the right. He slaps his cross into the thigh of the nearest defender and that's a corner; De Bruyne feeds it back, accets the return, and from a good position piles in a low cross that the keeper reaches first.

This is right down there with Barcelona-Man United in 2008 - though the negativity in that one was mainly on account of only side, United. Kroos scuds a low shot wide of the near post, and Madrid are in relative ascendancy, though don't be reading anything whatsoever into that; it's marginal as margins.

City's Twitter reckons this is a "calculated affair". Similarly, it also had right old good, long, relaxing "calculated affair" after seven pints and a curry last Friday night.

De Bruyne breaks through the centre, Casemiro unloads him, and there are various appeals for a foul. The ref thinks not, and we go again; can someone do something good?

Marcelo does brilliantly to speed away from Navas. He is then blocked off.