Grealish warns Real that Man City are ‘unstoppable’ at home

Jack Grealish said Manchester City are confident of finishing the job against Real Madrid at home to reach the Champions League final after a 1-1 draw in their semi-final first leg on Tuesday. City have won all 14 games at the Etihad this year by a combined score of 49-7 as Pep Guardiola’s men close in on a potential treble of Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
But it is conquering Europe for the first time that matters most to the English champions. City suffered heartache against Madrid at the same stage of the competition last season as a late collapse in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu saw the Spanish giants go on to win the competition for the 14th time.
But home advantage for the return leg could make the difference this year after the sides could not be separated in Madrid. Both goals came from spectacular strikes from outside the box as Kevin De Bruyne cancelled out Vinicius Junior’s opener. “At the Etihad at the moment we feel unstoppable,” Grealish said. “We came here tonight to try and win, but I think it shows our character to go a goal down and come back. In the end it was a fair result.”
City are now unbeaten in 21 games in all competitions. But they were not at their fluent best as Madrid successfully cut the supply line to 51-goal striker Erling Haaland. The visitors had dominated possession until they were hit by the Real sucker punch when Vinicius drove forward and fired into the top corner on 36 minutes.
But the roles were reversed after the break as just when City appeared on the ropes, they hit back when De Bruyne drilled past his Belgian international teammate Thibaut Courtois. “When we were better, they scored. When they were better, we scored,” said Guardiola. “Tight game, Bernabeu, a semi-final always is difficult. 1-1 and we have a final next Wednesday at home with our people.”
Under Guardiola City have dominated English football. They are on the brink of a fifth Premier League title in six seasons. But they are yet to replicate that success on the European stage. In contrast to Madrid’s wealth of experience, City have only reached the Champions League final once in their history.
“They are so demanding. They are so good, (they have) the experience, the quality,” added Guardiola. “Now they travel to Manchester and we are going to see what we can do better. When you play these type of games it’s like a playoff. The second (game) you learn a lot from the first and hopefully we can learn and attack and defend better.”
Real controlled the game and deserved to win: Ancelotti
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said his side deserved to beat City but he was still pleased with their performance on Tuesday. “We competed, we fought, I think we deserved to win. It was a good match and we head to the second leg with a good feeling. The result doesn’t reward us for what we did on the pitch, but this tie will be close until the last minute,” Ancelotti said.
“They had more possession in the first 30 minutes, but that didn’t worry us, because we were well positioned at the back and waited to make an effective transition. In the second half, we managed to come out from the back better... and we should have won, but the sensations are good.”
Ancelotti is usually calm and composed on the touchline but he lost his temper after Man City’s goal and was shown a yellow card for bitterly complaining with Portuguese referee Artur Dias. The Italian felt the ball went out of play in the buildup to City’s equaliser.
“The referee was too distracted,” Ancelotti said. “In the previous play it was a corner for us that he didn’t see. And the ball was out of play, the technology in the images shows that clearly. It’s strange that they didn’t see it. He gave me a yellow card, and I wasn’t even playing. Some of the players in the pitch deserved more cards. The referee wasn’t very attentive.”
Ancelotti, however, said he was satisfied with how his team played and that the tie was wide open. “We have to play the way we played tonight,” he said. “They pushed us a bit, but the strategy was good, we defended and controlled the ball. We are satisfied and looking forward with good feelings to the second leg.”