Not even a quarter of an hour at the Etihad and City was already winning 2-0, the perfect scenario for Guardiola. But Madrid, no matter how bad it is, shaken and overcome in all aspects of the game, did not give up as Benzema’s goal showed to give it life when he thought he was entering the countdown.
Ancelotti’s team, tender and weak in their defensive structure, did not even see the ball, while their captain, the French striker, increased his legendary numbers in the Champions League, scoring his goal 12+1 in 10 European games. Then, and with a signed penalty from Panenka after missing two in Pamplona, he reached fourteenth. So Guardiola sat on the fridge, trying to find a rational explanation for a match that was maddeningly irrational.
What madness! This is the Champions League and anything can happen.
Vinicius artwork. #LaCasaDelFootball pic.twitter.com/ZrLdhugj6i– Soccer on Movistar Plus+ (@MovistarFutbol) April 26, 2022
“A defeat is never good, but we never lower our arms. Now we have to go to the Bernabéu, we need the fans like never before and we are going to do something magical, which is to win”, proclaimed Benzema, who has become the spokesman for discontent with the Madrid game. “At the beginning we lacked a little bit of everything, ambition, pressure, confidence…”, admitted the white striker, whose coldness in the key penalty (it was 4-3) was due to the fact that he possesses indestructible and infinite mental strength . “I have a lot of confidence in myself,” he said. “There are no words to define Karim,” admitted an astonished Vinicius.
“A defeat is never good, but we never lower our arms. Now we have to go to the Bernabéu, we need the fans like never before and we are going to do something magical, which is to win”
Benzema, Madrid striker
«The tie started in the worst possible way because very soon we were down 2-0, but the team had, again, that rebellion. It was a fabulous game, it was a great show. You can’t ask for more, everything is open, we expect a magical night at the Bernabéu,” acknowledged Emilio Butragueño, Madrid’s head of institutional relations.
“It was a fantastic game for football, but we left here with a not-so-good result. We didn’t defend well, although we hurt him with the ball. We have to defend better. If we defend better, it’s the key to reaching the final “, Ancelotti said, assuming that “two goals have been due to the loss of individual duels and, in addition, with two centers in which we must be more attentive”, added the Italian coach.
“Defending better is the key to reaching the final”
Ancelotti, Madrid coach
“We are very confident for the return leg, now we trust in the magic of the Bernabéu”, said Carletto, proud of that Panenka-style penalty taken by Benzema. “Now they were waiting for him on the right and he, instead, puts it in the center of the goal.” To Madrid and the magic of his house appears the City.
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“It was a fantastic game for football, we left here with a not-so-good result. We didn’t defend well, we hurt them with the ball. We have to defend better, this is good. They are very strong, we competed. Defending better is the key to reach the final”, Guardiola insisted.
“We have given everything. We played a good game. I have congratulated my players. And in a week we will go to Madrid. But now we have Leeds, who are playing for the League”
Guardiola, City manager
“Yes, the game was just as fun as it was for the fans. We gave everything. We played a good game. I congratulated my players. And in a week we’ll go to Madrid. But now we have Leeds, we’re playing for the League” , Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, has underlined.