“It’s the sweetest strike possible” - Steve Nicol picks best goal from Real Madrid 3-3 Manchester City thriller

Football pundit Steve Nicol has picked Fede Valverde's strike as the best goal scored in the Real Madrid vs Manchester City first-leg UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarter-final clash at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday, April 9.

The UCL's record champions played out a thrilling contest against the defending champions. There were some high-quality goals on display during the scintillating showdown.

Bernardo Silva scored a long-range free kick, catching Andriy Lunin off guard. After a Ruben Dias own goal from Eduardo Camainga's deflected shot in the 12th minute, Rodrygo gave the home side the lead in the 14th minute. Phil Foden (66') and Josko Gvardiol (71') scored two belters from outside the box in the space of five minutes to restore the lead for the Cityzens.

Federico Valverde, though, had one more trick up his sleeve, as he scored a thunderous volley in the 79th minute to make it 3-3. Nicol has now assessed the goals and picked Valverde's strike as the best of the bunch, saying (via ESPN FC on YT):

"That's tough. It's either Foden or Valverde for me. Foden, we've seen him do this every weekend. The way that hee turns with the ball at his feet in one movement, with one touch and puts it in the perfect spot is incredible."

Nicol added:

"At the same time, Valverde's volley is very difficult to get your body in the right place and get the timing of it right. It's the sweetest strike possible. I am going to go for Valverde."

Watch Steve Nicol's comments:

Real Madrid and Manchester City will lock horns at the Etihad for the second leg on April 17. Given the quality of the first game, the second leg can also be expected to be a fiery affair.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti speaks about his substitution policy against Manchester City

Carlo Ancelotti didn't make any substitution before Manchester City scored two back-to-back goals to restore the lead. He then brought on Brahim Diaz for Rodrygo and Luka Modric for Toni Kroos in the 72nd minute.

Ancelotti also introduced Joselu in place of Vinicius Junior in the 86th minute of the game. Speaking about his strategy after the match, the Italian manager said (via Real Madrid's official website):

"It was tough to make changes because I didn't want to alter our approach to the game. I switched things around when I concede the two goals to bring a bit more energy. Lunin hardly made a save, you might concede shots from the edge of the box against a team like City, and they found the top corner with those two shots."

Real Madrid have a La Liga away clash against Mallorca before making the trip to Manchester to take on Manchester City for the all important second leg.