Pep Guardiola had refused to give Real Madrid a guard of honour to mark them becoming Spanish champions.But he had no choice but to offer Real his ultimate respect after seeing them produce an astonishing comeback to ruin Manchester City’s European dream.
And what would Guardiola give to see the same character, heart and defiance in his own side when it comes to the Champions League?Real have found ways to stay in the competition this season when all looked lost.
Just ask Paris Saint Germain, Chelsea and now City. In stark contrast, meanwhile, City continue to find ways not to win the one trophy that still eludes them.But even by City’s standards, Wednesday’s capitulation in the Bernabeu scaled new heights of failure, it has to be said.
Guardiola looked like he’d seen a ghost at the final whistle. He’d actually seen three. They were called Carlo Ancotti, Rodrygo and Karim Benzema - the architects for Real’s remarkable comeback win.He was still in shock when he spoke to the media afterwards and the faces of those mentioned above will now haunt him for a long, long time.
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