De Bruyne out of Haaland's shadow, delivers again in Madrid

Kevin De Bruynes shot flew like a missile skimming just above the turf in a trajectory not dissimilar to Carlos Albertos glorious goal for Brazil in the 1970 World Cup finalOf course this was no title match for Manchester City it was the first leg of the Champions League semifinals but with the eyes of the world on the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium it sure felt like oneWho else then should step up but De Bruyne the man who delivers for City on the big occasion time and againAlso ReadInter eye ultimate glory over AC Milan in allimportant Champions League semisThe Belgium playmaker looked to the sky and raised both his arms before performing a rare knee slide after his longrange equalizer for City in the 11 draw against Real Madrid on TuesdayDe Bruyne knew how significant the goal was How good it was tooHe is making a habit of itCity has played Real Madrid in the Champions Leagues knockout stage in three of the last four seasons and De Bruyne has scored each time And against Atletico Madrid last year City won 10 after two fiery matches in the quarterfinals and it was De Bruyne with the only goalHis goals in the final stretch of this season as City chases the Premier LeagueChampions LeagueFA Cup treble have come against Liverpool Arsenal two goals and now MadridIn only one of his last eight games has De Bruyne not scored or had an assistErling Haaland has earned most of the plaudits of late because of a scoring record not seen in the modern era in English soccer but underpinning it all is De Bruyne with his artistry and creative geniusMaybe this is the season when De Bruyne gets his careerdefining moment in the Champions LeagueUntil now the indelible image of him in the competition is from the 2021 final when he staggered off the field before the hour mark of Citys underwhelming 10 loss to Chelsea with a fractured eye socket and a broken nose following a clash of heads with Antonio RudigerTo say De Bruyne has unfinished business in the Champions League is an understatement He couldnt be doing any more to get his team back into the finalAnd he appears to have gained new confidence in the final months of a season that took a worrying turn during the six weeks immediately after the World Cup when De Bruyne English soccers player of the year in 2020 and 21 was dropped for some matches and City manager Pep Guardiola went public with his criticism of the midfielders performances and conditionIf that was a tactic to shake De Bruyne out of his torpor it has workedNow he either plays as the most attacking of Citys central midfielders running off and behind Haaland against teams such as Arsenal last month who press high up the field Or he has to take a deeper position against opponents content to sit back and defend relying instead on his delivery from out wide or longrange shotsAgainst Madrid it was the latterWe see it every single day in training you wouldnt choose anyone else for it to fall to City winger Jack Grealish said of De Bruynes 25meter strike from Ilkay Gundogans layoff at the edge of the areaSeven of De Bruynes 14 goals in the Champions League have come from outside the areaStop Haaland in the penalty box and teams still have De Bruyne to deal with outside itThats the challenge facing Madrid in the second leg at Etihad Stadium next weekThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever