Luka Modric and Thibaut Courtois accept that Real Madrid could not live with Manchester City during their stunning 4-0 Champions League semi-final defeat at the Etihad Stadium.
Billed pre-game as a meeting of the ‘Team of the Year’ and the ‘Team of the Century’, Pep Guardiola’s rampant broke Real’s stranglehold on Europe’s most coveted prize with the sort of performance which will go down in the annals of footballing folklore.
Bernardo Silva’s first-half brace – coupled with late goals from Manuel Akanji and substitute Julian Alvarez – means Manchester City are now just 90 minutes away from claiming the coveted Champions League trophy for the very first time.
“This is sport. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose,” sighs Modric, Real Madrid’s veteran playmaker barely given a kick by Guardiola’s masterful midfield (Bernabeu Digital).
“City deserved to go through and that’s it.
“We haven’t been good. We wanted to do better, obviously. But City were superior, and we have to congratulate them. Nothing more.”
Manchester City hammer Real Madrid to close in on treble
An eventual 4-0 scoreline would look even more lopsided if it wasn’t for Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian twice denied Erling Haaland early on, including one remarkable reflex save which deserved to count for more.
“I think they put a lot of pressure (on us),” Courtois tells MoviStar. “A lot of people up front getting us into the (penalty) area.
“At the beginning, we held up well. But if we can’t create chances and do damage later, then they feel more comfortable. It was difficult for us to get in in the game.
“After the break, we were good. But we weren’t clean with the passes, and we didn’t create chances.”
Manchester City will now face Inter Milan in Istanbul on June 10.
An FA Cup final clash with bitter rivals Manchester United, meanwhile, means Guardiola and co are now just three matches away from claiming the treble, with the Premier League title now within their grasp too.
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