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.

Owen Hargreaves is on about how Madrid have come for 0-0, but, in my infinite wisdom, that seems wrong. They've come not to concede, but they've also come with assumption that their attacking players will muster at least one goal over the course of 90 minutes.

Lucas chases a bouncing ball and is booted clear along with it, by Kompany. There's a short delay while he recoveres from the ordeal.

Clichy finds De Bruyne, again on the left flank, and he cuts inside waiting for Silva to scurry outside him. The pass is intercepted by Carvajal and that's about as close as we've come to a goal - well, joint closes along with everything else that's happened in the game, none of which is very close at all./

What is Luka Modric doing? He's easily the best midifelder on either side, and should be bossing a game like this, but instead is barely present..

The crowd exhort City forward and the players try to oblige, but Madrid are sat deep and force them backwards.

We're back to neither side being in the ascendancy.

City could do with getting some support for Aguero into the box, but they're starting to take control, and one attack sees the ball cleared directly into the path of De Bruyne, just outside the box. He flings all of himself into a shot, but Carvajal is closing down and blocks to safety.

Again City find space down the right, and Fernandinho powers forward. Just by the right corner of the box, Ramos mows through him, contacting the ball first. It's still a foul, but probably saves him getting booked. The free-kick is useless.

You're not going to believe this, but Pepe has just been booked. Navas finds space for a break and feed De Bruyne on the right. The pass isn't ideal but when Pepe tanks across, all De Bruyne has to do is knock it past him and relax, as limbs tangle. The free-kick goes in the middle, where Kompany is penalised for climbing.

Kompany snaps a long ball forwards for Sagna, who finds De Bruyne, and for a second he's in space. But Madrid get around him forthwith and force him backwards.

Casemiro larrups one forward from centre to right, and Clichy is revising his times tables. Bale, on the other hand, is not, and drills a low cross that Kompany intercepts before Benzema can deal with it.

Neither side has yet created even a fourteenth of a chance.

Zinedine Zidane looks thinner as a coach than he did as a player, humiliatringly enough.

That sudden roar-cum intake of breath envelops the Etihad as Sagna sets De Bruyne away, and he burns up Pepe - but Casemiro is there, sliding in to avert the danger.

Silva finds possession outside the Madrid box, left of centre, and spins right and left looking and waiting for the angle to play a through-pass. Eventually, Aguero obliges, cutting in off the near side, but the ball is overhit.

Not that much has happened so far - both sides will be satisfied enough with that, though City might have been advised to start with slightly more fury. One way that British sides beat Continental sides is with early aggression.

Fernandinho, who so far has carried on his excellent form of the past month, flicks the ball over Casemiro and is nailed, though his momentum allows him to retaliate with an accidental forearm smash. No booking, says the ref.

A lax pass from Ramos is seized upon by Fernandinho, snapping into a tackle like Bastard Bolton's hound and feeding De Bruyne, who finds Navas out wide. His cross is pathetic, battered way beyond the far post, and that's the end of that.

By the looks of things, both sides intend to get the ball forward quickly - it's very hard to see this one ending goalless.

First flash of City - Fernandinho runs off Kroos to collect Navas' flick, and immediately looks to slot Aguero in behind Pepe. But the pass sends him wide than idea, and he's seen away easily enough.