Manchester City 0 0 Real Madrid

Joe Hart kept Manchester City's hopes of reaching their first Champions League final alive with two brilliant late saves that ensured their semi-final first leg with Real Madrid finished goalless.

With star striker Cristiano Ronaldo missing because of a thigh injury, a cautious Real side offered little goal threat until the closing stages. But in the last 20 minutes, Jese headed against the bar for the Spanish side before Hart brilliantly denied Casemiro and Pepe from corners. Hart showed great reactions to keep out Casemiro's header with his foot but his block to deny Pepe, who was unmarked and five yards from goal, is the standout reason City will travel to Spain next week with a precious clean sheet. The closest City came to a goal of their own was when Keylor Navas tipped over Kevin de Bruyne's dipping free-kick in stoppage time. Relive a tense first leg at Etihad Stadium

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That was Navas' only save of a game that was billed as a shootout between two attacking sides but was, in fact, a game largely devoid of goalmouth action. City will take the positives from denying Real an away goal but England's last remaining representatives in Europe's elite competition still face a huge task if they are to reach the final, in Milan on 28 May. Their failure to score at home means former Real boss Manuel Pellegrini does not have a lead to take back to the Bernabeu, where Zinedine Zidane's side have not conceded a goal in the Champions League all season.

The City keeper had little to do in the early stages and his first save did not come until he kept out a Sergio Ramos header after the break, but the England international again came to his side's rescue with his two stops from Real set-pieces in the closing stages

What next?

The first leg of the other semi-final, between Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich, takes place in Spain on Wednesday.

Before their trip to Madrid, City travel to Southampton on Sunday in a 16:30 BST kick-off. With three league games remaining, Pellegrini's side are still in need of Premier League points to secure a top-four finish that will make sure of Champions League football next season too.

Real, third in La Liga and a point behind leaders Barcelona, are already certain of their Champions League place but are still in the title race. They also have an away game this weekend - against Real Sociedad at 15:00 BST on Saturday.