Thirty-five minutes of near-total dominance at the Bernabeu could mean only one thing. Manchester City had been brilliant. They were completely dominant on the ball, Real Madrid's fans had been reduced to whistles as their side simply couldn't get near City, and it felt like a matter of time that the away side would score.
So naturally, as 'Typical City' tend to do, they conceded, and Real Madrid were ahead despite having just 28 per cent of the ball. City fans knew the score and had seen it all before.
In last season's match-up at this stage of the Champions League, City had scored twice at the Etihad in the first leg and were completely on top. That was until Karim Benzema scored, because he always does, and then pulled another goal back to stay in the tie at 3-2 and again at 4-3.
ALSO READ: Man City player ratings vs Real Madrid as Kevin De Bruyne delivers
In the second leg, when City were the better side again, City let Rodrygo score two heartbreaking late goals and force extra time from a position of complete strength. Maybe a big part of the regret of last season's defeat was the silliness that allowed Real to even have a chance of coming back in Madrid.
That's why there will have been nerves when Vinicius Jr sent his rocket beyond the helpless Ederson in the first half, and Madrid slowly used the dark arts to claw themselves into a position of strength themselves. The referee at the Bernabeu was doing his best to keep all 11 Real players on the pitch despite their convincing attempts to collect multiple bookings, and City were starting to get a little ragged.
Step up Kevin De Bruyne, then, who did his best Vinicius impression with a thunderbolt of his own to level the scores and give City a draw to take back to Manchester. Just when City could buckle - as they have done in the past - they stepped up. When there were openings to try and nick a winner, they kept players back to avoid the counter-attack.
How they wish they'd have done that last season when Jack Grealish looked to kill the tie in the second leg before Rodrygo's double.
Even Pep Guardiola avoided the temptation of any risky selection calls. He stuck with his trusted players, and chose not to make a substitution even if that meant introducing the pace of Phil Foden or the trickery of Riyad Mahrez to the contest.
Is this a new-look City in Europe? A side who trust their ability, don't get too up or too down when one team has the momentum, and who can see the bigger picture. They still have a game to win next week, but this was one of their most mature performances in the Champions League for some time, especially against a fellow contender.
Time will tell if they were right not to chase a second goal too vigorously, but the fact they remain in the tie going back to the Etihad is something most fans would have taken before kick-off.
READ NEXT
