3 things we learned from Real Madrid's victory: City out with a whimper

Real Madrid booked a repeat of the 2014 Champions League final against local rival Atletico Madrid courtesy of a 1-0 aggregate scoreline victory over Manchester City on Wednesday.

Related: Real tops Manchester City to set up another all-Madrid Champions League final

Gareth Bale's cross nicked off Fernando's outstretched leg on 20 minutes - the 110th minute of the two-legged encounter - and it proved as the difference between the two sides as Manuel Pellegrini failed to devise a way to break down Los Blancos.

The stutter against VfL Wolfsburg aside, Zinedine Zidane has overseen a relatively smooth route into the final through the knockout stages, and looked to have a significant element of control over the 180 minutes with City.

Here are the three main takeaways from Real Madrid booking its spot in the MIlan showpiece at City's expense:

Atleti, your neighbour can defend, too

Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid has quite rightly drawn plaudits for its disciplined defending and devastating attacking football, but firstly Rafa Benitez, and then latterly Zidane have presided over an astute run into Real Madrid's 14th European Cup final.

Los Blancos have shut out Paris Saint-Germain twice, AS Roma twice, Wolfsburg once, Manchester City twice, and others on a march in which Keylor Navas has equalled Santiago Canizares' record for most clean sheets in a single season.

Sergio Aguero had to drop deep in his search for the ball on Wednesday, while Kevin De Bruyne cropped up in every attacking position but struggled to influence the game from any of them. Somehow, a deep-lying midfield of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos - more forward-thinking footballers than defensively minded - went relatively untroubled in the absence of the suspended Casemiro.

Another methodical performance by Real Madrid could make for a tighter final against Atletico than 2014's, when Carlo Ancelotti's side triumphed by a 4-1 scoreline.

Guardiola's first unpopular decision in Manchester?

Pep Guardiola is certainly not averse to unpopular decisions when taking the helm at a club. He oversaw the departures of Ronaldinho and Deco in his few months at Barcelona, before he sold Samuel Eto'o to Inter Milan when he was apparently at the peak of his powers. Bayern Munich stalwart Bastian Schweinsteiger was allowed to leave for Manchester United last summer for a paltry fee.

And one of the first tasks for the Spaniard when he succeeds Manuel Pellegrini could be to find a replacement for Vincent Kompany.

His early beginnings as a holding midfielder for a perpetually underachieving outfit won him an early cult status in the Etihad Stadium, but his standing now is as a two-time Premier League winner who's worn the captain's armband with great distinction and pride. He is firmly alongside Sergio Aguero, David Silva, and Pablo Zabaleta in the supporters' favourites of this cash-rich era.

It could prove necessary, though, after he looks set to miss the remaining two matches of the season after his latest enforced substitution.

Related: Kompany withdrawn after 9 minutes as injury nightmare continues

The centre of defence is a position that could see wholesale changes. Nicolas Otamendi has been erratic, Eliaquim Mangala looks burdened by his £42-million fee, and Martin Demichelis was primed for retirement a year ago.

Yaya Toure's work-shy wanderings

How damaging has the clear lack of effort from Yaya Toure been over the past two seasons? The second highest-paid player on the Bernabeu pitch was ambling around in one of the biggest games in his club's history, trying desperately to avoid exertion even with an opponent in close quarters.

Expect whispers of how Toure's lack of graft upset the dressing room at City when he inevitably departs this summer. When such a highly decorated player and one who was so pivotal in his first four seasons in sky blue shows this non-existent application, and when his pay packet is so huge, that poor morale has to trickle down to his colleagues.

Unlike Kompany, the exit of Toure will please many City fans.