Guardiola is delighted with his successful revenge against Real Madrid.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was pleased with the 4-0 victory in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final.

"We played with pain in our hearts and we capitalized on it," Guardiola said after the match at the Etihad Stadium on May 17th. " Sport always allows you to get revenge."

In the first leg of last season's semi-final, Man City beat Real 4-3. But they lost 1-3 in the second leg and 5-6 on aggregate. With a 4-0 victory in the second leg and 5-1 on aggregate this season, Guardiola's team successfully avenged that defeat.

The Spanish coach admitted he had been looking forward to facing Real Madrid again. He was upset that his players were criticized for being useless and lacking character after their defeat to Real Madrid last season. "We played a fantastic game," Guardiola added. "The quality of this team is incredible. We won three consecutive Premier League titles, reached the semi-finals twice and the final of the Champions League once."

Guardiola celebrates a goal in Manchester City's 4-0 victory over Real Madrid on May 17th. Photo: AP

Mentally, Guardiola admitted to motivating his players. Before the second leg of the semi-final, he asked the players if they wanted to play in the final against Inter. He emphasized that before thinking about the final, Man City needed to overcome Real.

Guardiola also admitted that playing at home in the second leg benefited Man City. However, he still valued the first leg result. "Real clearly dominated us in the first 15 minutes of the first leg," Guardiola said. "Things could have been worse if they had gone 2-0 up. We got a great result there with a 1-1 draw."

Guardiola is delighted with his successful revenge against Real Madrid.

Guardiola rejected the public perception that Manchester City is a failed team if it doesn't win the Champions League. He argued that City still lacks tradition in European competitions. He cited Real Madrid's 14 titles, while City has only reached the final twice. "You can't always win," Guardiola emphasized. "The important thing is to try. Barcelona lost two finals before winning their first Champions League."

Man City dominated Real Madrid 4-0 in the second leg of the semi-final, unlike the first leg at the Bernabeu. Bernardo Silva scored a brace in the 23rd and 37th minutes. Real Madrid only had 39% possession and five shots on goal, fewer than Man City's nine. In the 76th minute, Akanji's header deflected off Eder Militao to make it 3-0. Man City sealed the victory with a one-on-one finish from Julian Alvarez in the 90+1 minute.

Man City will face Inter in the final on June 10th in Istanbul, Türkiye. Man City has never won the European Cup/ Champions League, while Inter has won three titles.

Thanh Quy (according to Marca )

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