Manchester City have been eradicated from the Champions League at the quarter-final stage; Kevin De Bruyne cancelled out Rodrygo’s early aim however Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic failed from the spot as Real Madrid received 4-3 on penalties; Real Madrid will face Bayern Munich in semi-finals
Jude Bellingham revelled in Real Madrid’s “beautiful” penalty shootout win over Manchester City which despatched his facet into the Champions League semi-finals, whereas Pep Guardiola rued the holders’ missed chances in the tie.
Kevin De Bruyne equalised for City after Rodrygo’s early opener at the Etihad however there was little doubt City have been the dominant facet on Wednesday evening, racking up 33 photographs to Real’s eight and recording an Expected Goals complete of 2.73 to their opponents’ 1.4.
However, Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic noticed spot-kicks saved in a shootout and Antonio Rudiger transformed the decisive penalty to ship Real into the ultimate 4 the place they’re going to face Bayern Munich, avenging their semi-final loss to City from final season.
“It’s a relief because you put so much into the game,” mentioned Bellingham, chatting with TNT Sports.
“I’ve performed in opposition to City when you’ve got been shut, you assume you’re going to get one thing out of it after which out of the blue they snatch it away from you. You must work actually onerous to beat them. To win the sport was a large reward.
“It is unbelievable. Moments like this are magic and it simply comes all the way down to mentality. When you get these particulars proper and also you get these little moments, like the penalties, when the lads preserve their cool, it’s magic. This was stunning.
“My brother is right here at this time and it’s the first time he has been capable of see me taking part in for Madrid. I really feel actually proud about that.”
City boss Guardiola was philosophical about the defeat for his facet however could not keep away from the truth he felt the tie ought to have been settled earlier than the shootout, given the quantity of chances his workforce created.
“First of all, congratulations to Real Madrid,” mentioned Guardiola afterwards.
“We did every little thing, I haven’t got any regrets. Always, you attempt as a supervisor to create extra and concede much less. There have been one, two or three transitions however that’s regular. We performed distinctive in all departments. Unfortunately, we couldn’t win. That is how it’s.
“Today, they defended deeper than the previous seasons. We created chances. But football is about scoring goals. From the penalty spot, they did it a bit better than us. Sometimes you win with penalties, sometimes not. The way we played, we should have done it before.”
Guardiola confirmed that the resolution to substitute Erling Haaland at the finish of regular time and De Bruyne in extra-time, together with Manuel Akanji, got here following requests from the gamers. “Erling and Kevin asked me to come out,” he revealed. “They could not continue. Same as Manu.”
With the FA Cup semi-final in opposition to Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday, there’s little time to dwell on this defeat. The treble is gone however the double stays inside their attain. “After winning, recovery is easier than losing. That is the way it is.”
Dias: Real Madrid wished penalties
City centre-back Dias lower a annoyed determine at the finish of all of it, saying the shootout in the end suited Real, who had been on the again foot for the majority of the contest.
“I don’t know what to say. Frustrating. We dominated the whole game. You go to penalties. The effort was there. We had chances. It’s a difficult one to take,” Dias instructed TNT Sports.
“You all the time find yourself doing every little thing to attempt to keep away from penalties. That’s what they wished.
“The workforce was there. We fought, we had our chances nevertheless it wasn’t our day.
“We had the chances. Sometimes the ball goes in, typically it would not. Now we have now to look ahead at what’s to come back in the season.
“We will not have a lot time to relaxation. It’s a busy half of the season. Now is a time to be robust particularly in the head. We’re nonetheless in two necessary competitions.”
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