How do you begin to sum that up?
The biggest club competition in the world continues to evade Manchester City and Pep Guardiola, with the 13-time winners Real Madrid showing their undeniable spirit to produce a stunning comeback.
City went into the game with a one-goal advantage from the first-leg after a thrilling 4-3 victory at the Etihad Stadium, with Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus, Phil Foden, and Bernardo Silva all on the scoresheet.
Then, on a tense evening at the Santiago Bernabeu in the second-leg, Riyad Mahrez extended City's advantage with 20 minutes to play with a stunning strike past Thibaut Courtois.
However, despite the Blues holding a place in the final in the palm of their hands, substitute Rodrygo scored two goals in added time for the hosts to force the game into extra time.
The players were stunned and Ruben Dias' late challenge two minutes after the restart allowed Karim Benzema to put Real Madrid ahead in the tie for the first time - a goal that ultimately proved fatal.
After a heartbreaking evening, here are five things we learned:
1. Manchester City just cannot win the European cup
It is quite stunning just how many times City have been eliminated from the competition in such heartbreaking fashion. Tottenham Hotspur in 2019, Chelsea in 2021, and now Real Madrid in 2022.
There is just some kind of mental block when it comes to getting the job done. At the Bernabeu, City snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and the psychological damage was done with Rodrygo's brace.
Ruben Dias giving away the penalty felt almost like a film where you had already seen the ending - from the moment extra time kicked off you knew a moment like that would happen.
2. First-leg missed chances come back to bite
There was a moment, 15 minutes into the contest at the Etihad, where Riyad Mahrez could and should have squared the ball to Phil Foden for a tap-in - a goal that would have been City's third of the night.
I am not for one second blaming Mahrez for the result, but I think that opportunity sums up the moral of the story for City in the Champions League. Guardiola constantly bangs the same drum year on year - take your chances.
City did not in the first-leg and were made to pay.
3. How does Guardiola pick them up?
Last season, after the heartbreak of the final in Porto, City were afforded the time to go away and regroup over the summer. With the Premier League still in their hands, it is a luxury they do not have right now.
How do Guardiola, his coaching staff, and even the leadership group pick the rest of the players off the floor to go again at the weekend?
I can imagine the dressing room is still absolutely stunned, but they cannot let it burden them, otherwise, the season could turn into an absolute disaster. Newcastle United presents a huge task to City on Sunday afternoon - with Liverpool potentially top of the table by that point - so they will have to conjure something, from somewhere.
4. The kings of Europe show their class
13-time winners for a reason.
Absolutely dead and buried, Real Madrid have - once again - found a way to win the game. They did it against Paris Saint-Germain, they did it against Chelsea and now they have done the same to City.
It has been a quite remarkable run to the final and the Blues will have to learn how to deal with these experiences and in-game situations if they are to reach the European pedigree of Real Madrid.
'Fight till the end' has been the club's motto ever since Sergio Agüero scored his famous goal in 2012. Maybe sometimes they need to remember that in Europe's premier competition.
5. False nine has been fun, but let's get this striker through the door
I wanted to end on a slightly positive note, but the feeling of deflation is just a lot to take in for everyone right now.
Guardiola is a genius and the false nine system has been a sublime temporary fix to a long-term issue. Karim Benzema over 180 minutes has proved why having a prolific number nine is essential for any top team.
Erling Haaland - or any recognised striker - is an absolute must for City this summer.
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