Pep Guardiola’s side were largely outplayed by Atlético Madrid in the second leg and only the absence of home rules allowed them to get their name into the top four. Now the English face Real Madrid.
The new Champions day was marked by the duel between Diego Simeone’s Atlético and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. The expectation was to see if the Argentine coach would change the ultra-defensive scheme that stalled in England, where two lines of five were scored at certain points in the game, or risk a little more, to try to turn the key after dropping from the minimum in the first leg.
And what happened in the first 45 minutes played at the Metropolitano was quite monotonous. Although the hosts risked a little more and tried to give more intensity to their game, they did not risk more than necessary and they never came dangerously close to the goal defended by Ederson. The goalless draw ended up stoning any option for Atlético and put City through to the semi-finals.
In fact, the clearest occasion of this period was at the feet of the visit, when Ilkay Gündogan crushed his shot against goalkeeper Jan Oblak’s right vertical and no one could take advantage of this ball which was floating in the box Madrid fans. And there was no time (or desire for more).
However, everyone who criticized Simeone had to keep their words to themselves, after a heartbreaking second slip. It is that the colchoneros absolutely dominated the team that played in blue and put them in their zone, in order to reach the goal that would take them to extra time.
In fact, Guardiola looked desperate as his side didn’t finish the goal in the entire squad and the trans-Andean strategist couldn’t believe his team didn’t hit the net. The two clearest? Antoine Griezmann at 57′ hit him first and his shot just went wide and Matheus Cunha was already celebrating at 86′, when a saving leg managed to deflect his punch.
And when Ángel Correa could not overcome Ederson’s resistance, in the last minute of the duel, the applause that Simeone demanded from the public who had come to cheer them on was more than a gesture. It was the emotion that ran around the world in great definition, but it was also the lesson that in football whoever attacks the most doesn’t always win. No less who deserves it, because if Guardiola and City will be able to face Real Madrid in the last week of April and the first week of May, it is because they have also been able to defend themselves.
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Source: Latercera
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
