Pep Guardiola said Manchester City are still not at a level where failing to win the Champions League can be seen as a disaster after being knocked out of the competition by Real Madrid for a third consecutive year.
City were in a difficult position after losing 3-0 in the first leg of their last-16 tie at the Bernabéu last week and that was made more complicated in the 20th minute of the return at the Etihad Stadium after Bernardo Silva was dismissed for handball on City’s goal-line and subsequently gave away a penalty. Vinícius Júnior scored it and then again in injury time to give Madrid a 5-1 aggregate win, with Erling Haaland scoring in between for the hosts.
“For the way we started and the way we played, I would have loved to play 11 against 11, but in football these circumstances happen,” Guardiola said.
“We have been in other finals, a lot of semi-finals and unfortunately in the last two editions of the Champions League we have been out. But this club, we arrived to set the bar a little bit high in terms of Champions League, and we didn’t achieve that, always this is not a good thing, but it’s fine, that is good.
“I would love the club to have the feeling that Madrid has; if you don’t win the Champions League, it’s a failure. That is pressure. But not [at] Man City.”
There was a lengthy pause before the award of the penalty as the officials, both on the pitch and in the VAR studio, ruled on a potential offside in the buildup. It was ultimately deemed that Vinícius was onside, resulting in the referee, Clément Turpin, reviewing the pitchside monitor and ruling that Silva’s handball was worthy of a spot-kick and red card.
“It’s a mistake and a red card, it’s the first of his career,” Guardiola said. “It’s instinct in action, it’s not a decision that can be avoided. Never, ever, I will blame my player for the decisions.”
Guardiola’s contract runs the summer of 2027 and he has insisted repeatedly that he will stay until its conclusion at least. “When we are out [of the Champions League] and our position in the Premier League, still we are not a complete team, that is the reality, I’m not going to [deny it],” he said on Tuesday night.
“I’ve been at Manchester City when we were a team in all the different aspects that define a team, and still we are not. But in terms of that we have a [Carabao Cup] final on Sunday, we have the FA Cup [quarter‑final] against Liverpool here, the Premier League still to fight [for]. Prepare good decisions for next season and next season we will be back in the Champions League. That is what we have to do.”
Despite being down to 10 men, City had 22 shots against Madrid and two goals disallowed for offside. Jérémy Doku and Rayan Aït-Nouri beat the substitute goalkeeper, Andriy Lunin, only to see the flag being raised.
Vinícius, who missed a penalty in the first leg, celebrated in front of City’s fans by mimicking crying. “The last time we came here, the Manchester City fans [who put up a banner which read ‘Stop crying’ after Rodri won the Ballon d’Or in 2024 ahead of the Brazilian] were making fun of me,” the forward said. “I wasn’t disrespecting City fans but it was a way for me to prove myself to them.”
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