After the Champions League quarter-finals between Manchester City and Real Madrid ended in a tight 0–0 draw, emotions ran high in both locker rooms.
The game’s physicality led to scuffles between players, which police had to break up, but the match’s ugliness was further exacerbated by coach Diego Simeone.
The Argentine manager did not identify the city manager by name, but accused Pep of complimenting him with disdain.
At his post-match press conference, Guardiola responded to Diego Simeone claims.
“I have only ever had good words to say about him. He can play however he wants, of course. I would never say otherwise. All I said was that it is very hard. And they know how to do that better than anyone in the world.” He said.
“Don’t be mistaken, I never criticised Atlético,” said Guardiola pointedly. ”
The final stages of the game were tense, with a victory for City seeming unlikely at one point. We recorded Pep Guardiola’s reactions:
“They pushed us back, we forgot how to play. That’s to their credit. We’re celebrating going through but after that second half we could be out. We were in big, big trouble. They had chances to score, but they didn’t in the end.”
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Manchester City will face Spanish giants Real Madrid in the semi-final stages of the Champions League. The first leg will take place on April 26th.