Real Madrid pulled off an incredible late comeback to reach the Champions League final as Man City faltered at the Bernabeu; City manager Pep Guardiola: “It is tough for us, I cannot deny that”; “The heritage of this club keeps us going,” says Real manager Carlo Ancelotti.
After Real Madrid snatched a place in the Champions League final from Manchester City, Pep Guardiola confessed the loss was difficult to swallow.
The Spanish team staged an incredible late comeback in the second leg of their semi-final at the Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday, winning 3-1 on the night and 6-5 on aggregate after extra-time.
The result advanced Real to a final against Liverpool in Paris later this month, prolonging City’s wait for European success after finishing second last season.
“I have had defeats in the Champions League, I had tough defeats at Barcelona when we could not reach the final.
“But it is tough for us, I cannot deny that. We were so close to the Champions League final.
“We didn’t play well in the first half, we didn’t find our game. The second half was much better and after the goal, we had control. We found our game but unfortunately we could not finish. The players gave everything
“We were so close. Before the first goal we had two chances, one so clear with Jack (Grealish), which could maybe solve it. And in that moment we did not have the feeling that we were in trouble because of the way they attacked. Guardiola remarked
Real has had a spectacular run in the competition this season, having rallied from behind to upset both PSG and Chelsea in the knockout stages.
“It has happened many times in their history,” Guardiola noted, as his team prepares for a critical Premier League match against Newcastle this weekend.
“This will have a positive impact on the Real Madrid players but I don’t know about us really. We didn’t suffer much until they scored, but we didn’t play our best.”