Man City and Real Madrid played out a hard-fought 1-1 draw in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final clash. The match was evenly contested with both teams having their chances to come away with a victory.
The result leaves the tie delicately poised ahead of the second leg at the Etihad Stadium. Former Man City striker, Sergio Aguero, expressed his surprise at Pep Guardiola’s decision not to make any substitutions during the match.
Aguero believes that the introduction of Julian Alvarez could have added some much-needed energy and enthusiasm to the Man City side.
Despite Aguero’s criticism, Guardiola defended his decision to keep his starting eleven on the field for the entire 90 minutes. The coach pointed out that Erling Haaland, who had a quiet game, was still able to create a few chances and was unlucky not to score.
Looking ahead to the second leg, Guardiola is confident that playing at home will give his side an advantage. He believes that the Etihad Stadium will provide a great atmosphere for the match, which he describes as being like a final.
Guardiola also revealed that he will be making some adjustments to his team’s attacking plan in the second leg. He wants to ensure that Haaland is not allowed to play too close to Real Madrid defenders Alaba and Rudiger, who did an excellent job of sealing off the space in the first leg.
Guardiola also acknowledged the threat posed by Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos, who forced Man City to defend deeper in the first leg.
Despite the draw, Guardiola was pleased with his team’s defensive performance and believes that the 1-1 scoreline is a good result for his side. He singled out goalkeeper Ederson and defender Kyle Walker for praise, describing them as two of the best players in the world.
In conclusion, the first leg of the Man City vs Real Madrid UEFA Champions League semi-final was a closely contested match that ended in a 1-1 draw.
Sergio Aguero was critical of Pep Guardiola’s decision not to make any substitutions, but Guardiola defended his choice, pointing out that Erling Haaland was still able to create chances.
Guardiola is confident that playing at home in the second leg will give his side an advantage, and he plans to make some adjustments to his team’s attacking plan. Overall, Guardiola was pleased with his team’s defensive performance and believes that the 1-1 scoreline is a good result for his side.
“In games like this, you need the best players. Ederson and Kyle Walker are two of them. Ederson saves brilliantly while Walker is the best one-on-one defender in the world,” the man said. Spain added.
In addition, coach Guardiola also revealed that he will make some adjustments in the second leg: “We did well defensively, perhaps we need to adjust a bit in the attack plan. Haaland should not play too close to Alaba. and Rudiger. Toni Kroos made us defend more. Anyway, 1-1 is a good score, better than losing 0-3.”