Topics: UEFA Champions League, Man City, Real Madrid, Bernardo Silva
The Portuguese hit two goals to hand City the advantage in Wednesday's classic affair.

Bernardo has entered the Champions League's record books for his stunning contribution in the first half of the semi-final second leg clash with Real Madrid. The 28-year-old Portuguese playmaker scored twice to boost City's chances of progressing to final following a dominant display.

It was business right from kick-off for Man City with Real Madrid adopting a rather pragmatic approach. The decision to sit back, however, did not fare well for Los Blancos with Pep Guardiola's men hitting them with multiple attacking threats.

Moments after  Erling Haaland forced Thibaut Courtois to pull off one of saves of the season, City got their breakthrough. The goal was produced from the right side, with Kevin De Bruyne threading a perfect pass into the box to pick out Bernardo Silva's run in behind. The former AS Monaco attacker collected the ball and then smashed it into the net to send the Etihad erupting in cheers of joy.

Madrid came close to equalizing when Toni Kroos rattled the crossbar with a brilliant strike from long range. But City gave themselves more breathing space with Bernardo Silva scoring from a header in the 37th minute. With the goal, Bernardo became the third player to score two or more goals in a Champions League semi-final match against Real Madrid, following in the footsteps of Lionel Messi (2011) and Robert Lewandowski (2013). Interestingly, the Portugese's last nine goals in the Champions League have all been scored in the knock-out stages.