Pep Guardiola praised the “wonderful goals” from Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden and Josco Gvaldiol as Manchester City drew 3-3 with Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-finals Emotional stability in Madrid.
The lead changed three times in a six-goal thriller. Silva gave City the lead inside two minutes but Real equalized through a Ruben Dias own goal and led 2-1 after Rodrygo scored in the 14th minute. Foden’s long-range shot in the 66th minute helped Manchester City equalize, and then Gvaldiol scored the first goal for the visitors to give the team the lead. The Croatian’s goal was also an impressive 25-yard effort, as was Federico Valverde’s superb volley from near the edge of the area.
Guardiola said: “All three scored fantastic goals [of City’s] And Valverde. We were unlucky to go astray, but that’s football. What I liked most was our performance in the second half. We were not clinical enough when we were 2-1 down. They were very dangerous in transition and could have scored more goals, but we controlled the game well. One of the keys to these games is emotional stability. This is fundamental. Seize the good moments and be steady in the bad.
“This is Madrid, it’s special. We are 2-3 up but the game is never over. We will get the result in a week [on Wednesday] In Manchester it will be a sell-out, our staff will help us score a goal and we will do the rest. We will try to reach the semi-finals. “
Guardiola denied being disappointed at failing to hold on to a 3-2 lead. “It doesn’t matter, this is the Bernabeu, my friend. We were not calm in the first half and we lost more [possession than usual against Madrid. It’s so difficult because they have not just legs but the quality to make these transitions effectively,” he said. “In the second half we played with incredible personality and tried to score goals. We did it. We scored three goals in the Bernabéu, it’s really good. It’s a good result for us, definitely. I have too good an opinion of this team [Real] – This is not a piece of cake. “
Foden limped off at the last minute. “It was a knock on the door. He was grumpy with me and asked me why I made the substitution, so that it meant he was fine,” Guardiola said.
Speaking about next week’s second leg, he said: “Real Madrid are the winners of this game and they have been in this situation many times, so I don’t know what will happen. The favorite will be who beats it Be better and impose the way we play.”
Kevin De Bruyne was selected to start but illness forced him to withdraw. “He started vomiting as soon as he arrived,” Guardiola said.
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Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said: “Our team played a very exciting game. [but] We are at a disadvantage because we play far away from our own stadium [in the return]”.
