Manchester City were knocked out of the Champions League after losing 2-1 to Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium, going down 5-1 on aggregate. It marks the third season in a row that City have been eliminated by Real Madrid.
City’s night took a major hit early on when Bernardo Silva was judged by VAR to have handled the ball on the line. The decision led to a penalty for Madrid and Silva being sent off, reducing City to 10 men. Vinicius Jr converted the penalty in the 22nd minute, making an already difficult situation even tougher for City.
That made an improbable task virtually unmanageable, and Guardiola did not hide how much that moment coloured everything that followed.
“(The players) have always shown (spirit),” Guardiola said. “But after 3-0 and after 4-0 and 10 against 11, it was impossible.
🗣️ @PepTeam reacts to tonight’s result. pic.twitter.com/WQP06QbXlf
— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 17, 2026
“But the future will be bright and next season we’ll be back.”
He lamented that Tuesday’s second leg of the last-16 tie never got the true test he felt his side had earned.
“I’m going to sleep and tomorrow let me challenge Madrid over 180 minutes 11 against 11. I wanted that feeling. That’s all,” Guardiola said. “We are always really good but 10 against 11 for 75 minutes, if you are one or two up on aggregate ok, but when you are 4-0 down, it is more complicated.”
Guardiola stressed the importance of experience for a squad undergoing transition.
“Next season I don’t know what happens but (Abdukodir) Khusanov, Rayan Cherki, it is the first time playing Champions League, Antoine Semenyo. It needs time,” he said.
“There’s a lot of new players. But I saw many good things, we said 3-0 was almost impossible, but let’s try it.”
With a League Cup final against Arsenal looming on Sunday and a Premier League run‑in still ahead, he urged focus rather than despair.
“We have a final on Sunday, we still have to fight and finish well in the Premier League (second-placed City are nine points behind Arsenal with a game in hand). Next season we will be back in the Champions League.”
Asked about his own future, Guardiola, whose contract runs through the summer of 2027, said with a smile: “When I retire in ten years.”
He brushed off suggestions that a single Champions League title in his tenure at City was not enough.
“Everybody wants to fire me! I have to win six Champions Leagues to be recognised,” he said.
He acknowledged that Real Madrid, where anything short of winning is judged harshly, operate under a different pressure.
“With time, maybe we will get that,” he said.
Asked if he had a message for City fans, Guardiola said: “They know what they have seen. They know it was close.”
His final reflection was not about Madrid at all, but about the rivalry he felt pushed City the hardest.
“No,” he said when asked if the Spanish giants were his greatest foe. “Juergen Klopp at Liverpool was my biggest challenge. Those games were a great learning experience for the team.”
(With Reuters Input)
