Real Madrid failed to turn late domination into a goal without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo as Manchester City held on for a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal Tuesday. City goalkeeper Joe Hart prevented Madrid from taking an away goal back to Spain for next week's second leg, producing close-range saves from Casemiro and Pepe in the final 10 minutes of a cagey match at Etihad Stadium. "Before the game, it was 50-50," Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. "I think it's the same." City may not get a better chance to beat Madrid, which played half of the first leg without its two most potent attackers. Ronaldo had been nursing a right thigh injury and "felt something" in a training session Monday, according to Zidane, while Karim Benzema started but didn't come out for the second half after attempting to play through a knee problem. City, though, couldn't capitalize and managed just two shots on target — one of which was a free kick from Kevin De Bruyne that was tipped over the bar in second-half injury time. "We were not very creative," City manager Manuel Pellegrini said. "But in terms of intent, we had most intent to win the game." Zidane said he was unsure if Ronaldo and Benzema, who have scored 74 goals between them this season, will be fit for the second leg. "We have to take it day by day," the Frenchman said. A match between the grand master of European soccer — Madrid is a record 10-time European champion — and a recent arrival to the continent's top table proved to be something of a let-down. Perhaps injuries played a part, with City, already without Yaya Toure (muscle problem), losing David Silva to a hamstring complaint late in the first half. City saw plenty of the ball in a tight first half but never threatened Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas, and then lost its way after the break. The aerial route proved to be Madrid's likeliest chance of scoring. "We had a couple of chances to score a goal. In that sense, a little bit disappointed," Zidane said. "But defensively, really happy with what we did." Simeone handed three-game ban Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has been banned from the touchline for the final three La Liga games of the season after a second ball was thrown onto the pitch disrupting a Malaga attack in Atletico's 1-0 win Saturday. The suspension was confirmed by the Spanish Football Federation Wednesday after Simeone was sent to the stands at half-time in the Malaga game by referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz. The extra ball was thrown onto the pitch from near the Atletico bench by a ball boy, in what appeared to be a case of gamesmanship. Spanish federation rules stipulate that as the culprit couldn't be identified at the time by the referee, Simeone is held responsible as the most senior figure on the bench. The Argentine will though be free to sit on the bench for Atletico's Champions League semifinal, first leg against Bayern Munich. — Agencies
