Two of Manchester City goalscorers this evening have been thrust in front of the media straight after the game and they have echoed much of what the viewers will have been saying, I’m sure. Firstly, Phil Foden.
For the fans watching, it was obviously a great game of football, a lot of goals,” he said. “We’re coming up against a team that has won the Champions League many times and we know that if we give the ball away in dangerous areas, they’re going to punish us. It’s something we need to work on in the second leg and the game’s still on.
I honestly think that the first 20 minutes we were so, so good,” he added. “The way we pressed, the way we controlled the game, the way we created chances and over the 90 minutes, it felt like we could’ve won with a better score. Unfortunately we were not able to take advantage of our two-goal advantages but that’s the Champions League. We played against one of the best teams in the world and it’s still a good score for us.
Tonight has shown exactly why the Champions League is the absolute pinnacle of world football. The referee brings an end to the game of the season at the Etihad where both teams more than played their part. Manchester City will be scratching their heads as to how they are only a goal in front heading to the Bernabeu but it is a lead, all the same.
The hosts have been brilliant tonight and are so unlucky that their opponents have been as ruthless as they have been. The experience that I keep mentioning has shone through in spades this evening as pretty much every other team in the world would have been blown away by a performance of this level.
Guardiola and Ancelotti share a smile after the final whistle and they certainly won’t be the only ones smiling after that truly brilliant game of football.