Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admitted he “can’t find a solution” to his side’s ongoing struggles in defending leads after they surrendered two late goals in a dramatic 3-2 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid at home on Tuesday night.
Erling Haaland scored either side of Kylian Mbappé’s 60th-minute equalizer to give City the lead twice. With less than five minutes of normal time remaining, the defending Premier League champions were 2-1 up at the Etihad, but former City player Brahim Diaz leveled for Madrid. Jude Bellingham then sealed another Real comeback with a 92nd-minute winner.
This latest late collapse was particularly painful, but it was far from a new experience for Guardiola’s side. City have now lost five games this season after taking the lead, matching the total from their previous four campaigns combined.
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As Guardiola expressed to Movistar after the match: “It’s happened many times, if something happens many times, it’s because I can’t find a solution. It’s been the year that Madrid have been better. We had a good result in the last few minutes, but we let it go. We got the penalty, but the game was pretty even; they had chances like never before here at the Etihad.”
While Real Madrid’s late victory came from a tap-in by Bellingham, Carlo Ancelotti was quick to point out: “At the end of the day, the victory is deserved.” The Spanish champions recorded an incredible 20 shots, the most ever by a visiting team at the Etihad during Guardiola’s eight-and-a-half-year tenure, according to Opta.
“They were better with the ball, we were a bit anxious,” Guardiola continued. “These are things that have happened to us many times during the year. We will try, it is hard mentally, we have tough games left, and we will travel to Madrid, we will try to adjust to have a bit more play and get through.”
City now face the challenge of overturning the deficit in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, 19 February. To progress, they need to win by at least two goals or secure a one-goal win to force a penalty shootout.
