Both De Bruyne and Vinicius score in a 1-1 tie.

Tuesday's thrilling first leg of the Champions League semifinal between Manchester City and Real Madrid ended in a 1-1 draw thanks to Kevin De Bruyne's outstanding drive.

Following Vinicius Junior's similarly spectacular long-range goal that gave the defending champions the lead, the Belgian brought Pep Guardiola's visitors even.

Erling Haaland was completely contained by Madrid, but De Bruyne's powerful effort left the match on the verge of a tie going into the second leg in Manchester the following week.

Despite being outplayed in both games, the record 14-time champions eliminated City at the same stage last year and unexpectedly took the lead at the Santiago Bernabeu.

When Madrid began to gain momentum in the second half, City fought back through De Bruyne as they sought to win their first-ever Champions League championship.

Luka Modric, a Madrid midfielder, told Movistar: "I don't think anyone will feel stronger; it's an open result, we knew it wasn't going to end here, and the tie is 50-50."

"It's a shame about their goal, but we were strong when they had the ball and held our ground. After the goal, we improved in pressing and on the ball.

In order to counter the quick threat posed by Real Madrid winger Vinicius, Guardiola chose Kyle Walker for the right back position, while Toni Kroos was selected by Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti for the base of the midfield.

Rodrygo started following his Copa del Rey heroics on Saturday. Rodrygo scored two late goals as a substitute against Manchester City last season to help Madrid advance to the final.

Despite having nearly 70% of the first half's possession, the visitors were down at the break.

De Bruyne, Rodri, and Haaland fired a barrage of shots at Thibaut Courtois early on as City dominated and Madrid sat back, absorbing the pressure.

Vinicius won the ball high up the field and crossed for Karim Benzema, but Ruben Dias made an outstanding interception to warn Guardiola's team.

Even though City were peppering Courtois, it was Madrid's only noteworthy attack after thirty minutes. It was also the closest either side had come before Vinicius scored.

Eduardo Camavinga, who was playing left-back for Madrid, sprinted past Bernardo Silva, found space, and fed Vinicius to start the attack, giving Madrid the lead.

In spite of Ederson's helpless dive, the Brazilian arrowed a shot into the top left corner from almost 25 yards away. Madrid only attempted one shot in the opening period, but it was the most successful one.

Dani Carvajal's attempts to restrain Jack Grealish, including slamming him into the advertising hoardings without receiving a penalty, particularly infuriated City.

Haaland was stopped by David Alaba with a skillful block early in the second half as Madrid kept him in check on his first encounter with them.

He had 51 goals from 46 games this season across all competitions, but Madrid prevented him from getting a clear shot at goal, preventing him from adding to that total.

After the break, Madrid's pressing significantly improved, and they occasionally pinned City back while displaying much more initiative than they had at the beginning.

But as Los Blancos gained momentum, City surprised them, just as Madrid had done to the Premier League leaders earlier in the half.

With a shot from the same distance as Vinicius's opening strike, which was hammered low past Courtois at the opposite end, De Bruyne brought the visitors even.

"He's a massive player for us, he's always been great and he helped us in the moment we most needed it," Rodri said to BT Sport.

"With this accomplishment, he gives us the assurance to press on."

The match will be decided in Manchester, as Guardiola predicted before the game, despite Ederson saving Benzema's header and a vicious Aurelien Tchouameni shot in the closing moments.

The winner will play either Inter Milan or AC Milan in the final following the second leg on May 17.