Khadija Shaw says slow start cost Manchester City in 1-1 draw with Real Madrid
City striker blames first-half press for dropped points
Manchester City remain winless after two Champions League games in the 2026-27 campaign, and striker Khadija Shaw felt a slow start cost them against Real Madrid on Thursday night.
Having drawn 2-2 with Bayern Munich in their Champions League opener last week, City were again forced to settle for a point at home, drawing 1-1 with Real Madrid.
First-half struggles
Linda Caicedo fired into the far corner to put Madrid in front in the 29th minute, and City could have few complaints at being behind at half-time, having only attempted five shots to their visitors’ 11.
City improved after the interval and drew level when Shaw finished on the turn in the 51st minute, having been fed by Yui Hasegawa.
City ended the game with 1.69 expected goals to Madrid’s 0.89, with both teams having 16 shots apiece, although visiting head coach Pau Quesada was furious to see Silvia Cristobal’s late strike disallowed, with Gasperotti having already blown the whistle after the official inadvertently blocked Beth Mead on the edge of the City area.
Shaw’s reaction
Shaw felt City would have won the match if they had produced their second-half level throughout the full 90 minutes.
"I think when you look at the game, we tried in the second half much better than we started the first, and I think that’s one thing we’re going to look at as a team," Shaw told Disney+.
"We’re disappointed that we didn’t win the game, but we definitely fought until the end and that’s good.
"I think with our pressing, we gave them a lot more time in the first half. In the second half, we stuck in and pressed them higher up the pitch and that caused a lot of errors from them.
"I think if we had done that in the first half, it would’ve been a different game."
Reflecting on her goal, Shaw added:
"When I’m in the box, I try to stay calm, with the players I have around me, that’s something we try to build in training. Sometimes it doesn’t come, but more often than not, they look for me. I try to stay calm, stay level-headed and focus on where the goal is.
"With the centre-backs I’m up against, it depends on what they give me. If they give me time and space, I know I can turn and get a shot off."
Context
Thursday’s draw ended City’s seven-match winning run on home soil in the Champions League, which was the longest ever recorded by an English team in the competition.
Madrid have still won just one of their 10 Champions League games against English sides in the competition, beating Arsenal 2-0 in the 2024-25 quarter-finals. Their win rate against WSL teams stands at 10%, making it their worst against teams from a specific country in the competition.