By John Essien
Pep Guardiola has admitted that Manchester City were off their best after failing to lead his side past Real Madrid in their Champions League semi-final clash on Wednesday.
City were a matter of minutes away from setting up an all-English final against Liverpool, with a 5-3 lead on aggregate as the match moved into the 90th minute.
But Rodrygo struck an incredible brace less than two minutes to send the tie to extra-time, with Karim Benzema sealing the comeback for Real from the penalty spot.
It means City once again fall short in Europe and they must now regather their focus ahead of the Premier League run-in, with just four matches to go.
What Guardiola Has Said?
“We were close, but in the end we could not reach it,” Guardiola told BT Sport.
“It is simple. In the first-half we did not have game, we were not good enough. But we did not suffer much. After we scored the goal we were better.
“We found out tempo and our game and the players were comfortable. It is not like in the last 10 minutes they attack and attack and you suffer. It didn’t happen.
“They put a lot of players in the box, with Militao, Rodrygo, Vinicius, Benzema and they put in crosses and scored two goals.
“We didn’t play our best, but it is normal, a semi-final, the players feel the pressure and wanting to do it. Football is unpredictable, it is a game like this. We have to accept it.
“Now we need to process that and come back, with our people at home and the last four games we have.”
What Real Madrid Defeat Mean To Guardiola?
City’s dramatic defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final saw Guardiola equal Jose Mourinho’s unwanted record in the competition.
The Catalan Coach has now been dumped out of the Champions League at the semi-final stage on six occasions – the joint-most of any Manager, along with Mourinho.
While he has won the Champions League twice, with Barcelona in 2009 and 2011, his record since is one of failure. While he was beaten in last year’s final by Chelsea, he has generally fallen at the previous hurdle, suffering semi-final heartbreak in 2010 and 2012 with Barca and 2014, 2015 and 2016 with Bayern Munich.
What’s Next For Manchester City?
Guardiola’s men will focus on securing the Premier League title and holding on to their one point lead in the standings with four matches remaining.
They play Newcastle at home on Sunday (May 8), then travel to face Wolves (May 11) and West Ham (May 15), before closing out the season at home to Aston Villa (May 22).
