Pep Guardiola admits that his Manchester City team has not been good enough in the Champions League this season and said “The best team won” after being dropped from the competition by Real Madrid holders.
Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick while the real one lacked 3-1 winners in the Bernabeu and 6-3 on aggregate, to reach the round of 16.
Nico Gonzalez scored a goal of injury to City, but it was hardly more than the consolation of a night when the Spanish giants reaffirmed their references as contenders for the Champions League this quarter.
Full -time | OUR #Ucl The campaign is coming to an end.
⚪️ 3-1 🤎 #Mandity pic.twitter.com/wlcjmuaqfi
– Manchester City (@Mancity) February 19, 2025
With Erling Haaland on the bench, the side of Guardiola, on the other hand, lacked real threat in the future and had trouble containing the leading line of attack.
“During the 180 minutes, we have a good half hour or 35 minutes, but the rest we had trouble,” Guardiola told TNT Sports after the match.
“Come here [the Bernabeu] A goal down and start with an injury to John [Stones] After the action for the first goal, it was a bit like what happened all the season.
“But it’s more difficult with the quality they [Real] to have.”
“After conceding a goal in the first action, we did not defend ourselves well. It is more and more difficult. We accept it, the best team has won, congratulations from Real Madrid and we are now focusing on the Premier League.
Asked about Mbappe’s quality, the city’s boss added: “It’s not just him, they have a fantastic team. They deserved to go through. We don’t deserve it. This is the first year that we did not have a good season in the Champions League. We accept it and we fight so that next season is again here.
“We are fortunate to be here for many years in this competition. We were so satisfied to win it once. We have accepted it right now, this season, we are not close enough to be there. We will see what’s going on in the future. »»
The next step for City is the visit of the leaders of the Premier League Liverpool on Sunday.
