Manchester City's manager Pep Guardiola commented philosophically on the elimination of the Citizens from the quarter-finals of the Champions League. City were dethroned by trophy record holders Real Madrid after 1:1 in regular time and extra time and 3:4 on penalties.
The Spanish specialist did not avoid the fact that, according to him, the clash should have been decided before the 11-metre penalty kicks, considering the high number of chances for the Manchester team in the match.
"First of all, congratulations to Real Madrid. We did everything we could, I don't regret anything. As a manager, you always try to make your team create more chances and concede less in front of goal. There were one, two or three transitions in attack, but that's normal. We played exceptionally in all aspects of the game. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to win. That's the way it is. Today, they defended deeper than in previous seasons. We created chances, but football is a game of goals. From the penalty spot, they did a bit better than us. Sometimes you win on penalties, sometimes you don't. The way we played, we should have won before the penalties", said Guardiola.
He confirmed that the decision to replace Erling Holland at the end of regular time and De Bruyne in extra time, along with Manuel Akanji, came after requests from the players themselves. “Erling and Kevin asked for a change. They couldn't go on. The same applies to Manu".
City's dream of a second treble in a row has evaporated, but the double is still likely. The Sky Blues host Chelsea at Wembley this weekend in an FA Cup semi-final. "After a win, recovery is easier than after a loss. That's the situation", Guardiola concluded. /BGNES
