Man City knocked out of the Champions League: Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham enjoys 'beautiful' win as Pep Guardiola rues missed chances
Jude Bellingham was very happy with Real Madrid's exciting win over Manchester City in the penalty shootout, which allowed his team to advance to the semi-finals of the Champions League. Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola was disappointed that his team missed out on chances to win and remain as the holders of the title.
City managed to level the score through Kevin De Bruyne after Real's Rodrygo opened the scoring at the Etihad. However, City were clearly the superior team on Wednesday night as they unleashed 33 shots on goal compared to Real's meager eight. Additionally, City's Expected Goals total was an impressive 2.73 while their opponents only managed 1.4.
Despite Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic attempting penalty kicks, they were unable to score and Antonio Rudiger managed to convert the game-winning penalty, allowing Real to secure their position in the final four. This also served as a form of revenge for Real after their semi-final defeat to City in the previous season.
"It feels great because you invested a lot in the match," expressed Bellingham during an interview with TNT Sports."
I've faced off against City in matches that were neck-and-neck, and just when you think you might come out on top, they manage to steal the win away from you. It takes a lot of effort to come out victorious against them. Winning that game felt like a huge accomplishment.
It's amazing. Times like this are enchanting and it all boils down to mindset. When you nail those particulars and seize those fleeting instances, like the penalty kicks, when the guys remain composed, it's extraordinary. This occurrence was exquisite.
Today, my sibling has graced me with their presence. It's the debut appearance where they get to witness me representing Madrid. I am filled with immense satisfaction.
The manager of the city, Guardiola, had a philosophical outlook on the loss of his team. However, he couldn't ignore the fact that he believed his team should have won before the shootout, considering the many opportunities they had to score.
"Before anything else, I would like to extend my congratulations to Real Madrid," expressed Guardiola in his statement following the event.
We gave our all and I am content with our efforts. As a manager, your objective is to produce efficient results and minimize faults. Although we encountered a few challenges, they were expected. Our performance in every aspect was brilliant. Unfortunately, we were not victorious. However, it's just the way things happen sometimes.
Today, their defense was more strongly positioned than in previous seasons. We had opportunities to score, but ultimately the outcome of football is determined by the ability to put the ball in the net. With the execution of penalty kicks, they outperformed us slightly. Penalty kicks can sometimes be the deciding factor in a game. Considering the quality of our gameplay, we should have been able to secure a win earlier on.
In free English, Guardiola said that he made the choice to take out Erling Haaland towards the end of the regular time and De Bruyne during the added time period, as well as Manuel Akanji, because the players had asked to be taken out. Guardiola explained that both Erling and Kevin had requested to be substituted because they were unable to keep playing. Manu had a similar situation.
As the FA Cup semi-final versus Chelsea approaches this Saturday at Wembley, there isn't much time to mull over the recent loss. While the possibility of winning a treble is now gone, achieving a double is still a feasible goal. "It's easier to bounce back from a victory than a defeat. That's just the nature of things."
Real Madrid Sought Penalties: Dias
At the end of the game, Dias, who plays as a defender for City, was visibly frustrated. He believed that the penalty shootout ended up benefiting Real Madrid, even though City had dominated most of the game.
"I'm at a loss for words. It's infuriating. We controlled the match from start to finish, only to end it in a penalty shootout. The team really put in the effort, and we had several opportunities to score. This defeat has left us feeling disappointed and disheartened," expressed Dias in an interview with TNT Sports.
You usually find yourself attempting to bypass punishments at all costs, which is exactly what they hoped for.
The crew was present at the scene. We battled hard and had some opportunities but unfortunately the circumstances were not in our favor.
There were opportunities for us. On occasion, the ball enters the goal, while on other occasions it doesn't. We must now focus ahead on what the season has in store for us.
We won't have a lot of downtime as this is a hectic part of the season. At this moment, we need to be mentally tough and resilient. We are currently involved in two significant tournaments.
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