City Edge Madrid 2-1 in a Grueling Champions League Night, Guardiola Remains Calm on Europe’s Biggest Prize

City edge Madrid in a tough 2-1 win

Spanish coach Pep Guardiola, Manchester City's boss, admitted that their 2-1 victory over Real Madrid on Wednesday night, in the sixth group-stage match of the UEFA Champions League, came with real difficulty, yet it put City in a strong position to reach the knockout rounds directly.

In his remarks to TNT Sports, Guardiola said: "The performance could have been better. Playing here (Santiago Bernabéu) is extremely tough. Four or five players are making their first appearance here."

"We should be happy with the points, at least. We now have 13 points (fourth place), and qualifying for the last eight is in our hands. That is our goal, and winning here after facing Leverkusen is very important."

Guardiola emphasizes progress and future challenges

Guardiola also praised several players, noting: "Matheus Nunes had a good game. The full-backs were solid, and Ryan Cherki played here for the first time. Nico Orioli delivered a brilliant display. Jeremy Doku helped us a lot in many details."

"We started the match with a mistake, and I expected Madrid to press higher, but they dropped back, which made things hard for us. Still, we accepted the situation and dealt with it."

On the threat posed by Madrid's frontline, Guardiola added: "Rodrygo, Vinícius Júnior, and Jude Bellingham are… exceptional players. The pace they have up front is deadly, so you can't play with an advanced defensive line; you must defend rigorously. We missed that a bit, and we can improve."

Regarding Erling Haaland, Guardiola said: "His numbers speak for themselves. We must find more ways to reach him, and he must be more involved in the play. In the last two matches he wasn't present as required, and we must find solutions to involve him more."

Asked whether this win boosts their Champions League chances, Guardiola replied: "We are not ready yet. The road is long. In February we will be better. We have faced similar tests here before, and we produced better displays only to lose. The players gave a lot, but there is still much to develop."

Punchline time: If Guardiola ever asks for a bigger sofa for the bench, he’s not talking about furniture—he’s negotiating with the football gods for a more comfortable route to Europe’s throne. And if the badge on the shirt could talk, it would probably say, “Relax, we’re not the characters in a fairy tale—yet.”