Pep Guardiola says their defeat to Real Madrid was a tough pill to swallow
Pep Guardiola stated it was frustrating after his team was defeated by Real Madrid in a spectacular comeback.
When Riyad Mahrez gave Manchester City a 1-0 lead in the 73rd minute, they seemed to be on their way to an all-English final against Premier League championship rivals Liverpool, and they pulled away 5-3 over the two legs.
As City threatened to run away with it, Jack Grealish saw a drive blocked on the line and then another effort saved by Thibaut Courtois as they seemed to be on their way to a second consecutive Champions League final appearance.
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Los Blancos gained a lifeline when Karim Benzema was able to find Rodrygo on the outskirts of the six-yard box, setting up an exciting conclusion.
About a minute later, Rodrygo got on the end of another cross, this time flicked on by Marco Asensio, to head in and draw Madrid level on aggregate.
In the 93rd minute, Rodrygo came close to completing a hat-trick, forcing Ederson into a save to send the game to extra-time, where a Benzema penalty would send the 13-time European winners through at City’s expense.
Pep Guardiola claimed it was a horrible sensation to get so close before falling short. Indeed, until Rodrygo scored Madrid’s first goal in the 90th minute, Manchester City had not faced a single shot on target.
“Yeah, we were close. We were close – but in the end, we could not reach [the final],” he said.
“It’s simple – in the first half, we didn’t have game. We were not good enough, but we didn’t suffer much.
“After we scored the goal we were better, we found our tempo, our game, and the players were comfortable on the pitch.
“The last 10 minutes they attacked and attacked, and you suffer, it didn’t happen. In that moment you can say okay, they were 10-15 minutes completely attacking, we would not survive – this was not the case.
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“They put a lot of players in the box – [Eder] Militao, with Rodrygo, with Vinicius Jr, with Benzema, with Asensio – all of them, and with crosses, they score two goals.
“We didn’t suffer much – we didn’t play our best – but these moments in finals, the players feel the pressure. We were close. Football is unpredictable, it’s a game like this, and sometimes you have to accept it.”
Pep Guardiola recognized that some players were disappointed by the outcome, but that they must move on fast and return their attention to the Premier League championship fight. With four games remaining, City holds a one-point lead over Liverpool, who are pursuing the quadruple.
“Yes [the players are crushed], I mean, we were close to reaching the final of the Champions League,” he added.
“We need some time to process that, then come back with our people at home for the last few games we have.”
Guardiola has now been eliminated from the Champions League semi-final stage on six times as a manager, matching him with Jose Mourinho.
