Real missed a chance to beat Man City, says Ancelotti after thriller

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was disappointed his side missing an opportunity to defeat Manchester City but he was still pleased with their performance in the Champions League quarterfinal, first leg that ended in a 3-3 draw on Tuesday.

After falling behind to a Bernardo Silva free-kick in the second minute, Real fought back to lead 2-1 at halftime after a Ruben Dias own goal and Rodrygo strike and then built enough momentum to extend their advantage.

But Ancelotti's side were wasteful and missed several chances, leaving City to take a 3-2 lead with sumptuous strikes from Phil Foden and Josko Gvardiol in the second half.

Real managed to salvage a draw thanks to a brilliant volley by Federico Valverde but Italian Ancelotti said the feeling he had at the final whistle was bittersweet.

“It was a winnable game because we had a chance at 3-1, but at 3-2 we could have lost if we didn't have the confidence to come back,” he said.

“It was a very good game from our side, evenly matched and competitive as long as we had the energy to press up front. We had our chances but they managed to score two great goals. In the end, the outcome was adequate.”

It was another epic encounter as the teams faced each other in a Champions League knockout tie for the third year running, igniting a new and exciting rivalry between the 14-times European champions and the Premier League powerhouse.

Real eliminated City in the 2022 semifinals but Pep Guardiola's side gained revenge a year later at the same stage.

The winners of the tie ended up lifting the trophy both seasons — with City crowned European champions for the first time — and Tuesday's match was one that left the fans eagerly looking forward to the return leg in Manchester.

“It was an incredible game for both teams,” Ancelotti added after Tuesday's six-goal thriller. “We have no doubts about the quality of what we saw on the pitch, two extraordinary teams.

“I liked very much what I saw from our team, especially the interpretation of the match, the courage and the personality.

“In the second leg we have the idea of playing the same game and see what happens.”

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola seemed satisfied with the result despite his side having given up the lead twice.

After seeing Real recover from the brink of elimination to beat visitors City in the semifinal two years ago, Guardiola knows the importance of playing the return leg at home, like last year when they thrashed Real after drawing in Madrid.

Next week City will aim to become the first team to knock 14-times champions Real out of Europe's elite club competition in successive seasons since AC Milan in 1989 and 1990.

“I'd rather play the second leg at home than at the Bernabeu for obvious reasons, past experience,” Guardiola said.

“We'll take the result. But as to whether we are favourites now, I don't know. The favourites will be the ones who impose their way, but our people [supporters] will give us a hand for sure.” 

The thrilling draw in the rip-roaring first leg in the Spanish capital left the tie between the last two holders of the trophy wide open for the second leg next week.

The Madrid crowd were left stunned two minutes into the match when Silva took advantage of a one-man wall to drill a free kick from 40m just inside Andriy Lunin's right-hand post to give the visitors the lead.

But Camavinga helped level the scores after 12 minutes when his long-range strike deflected off defender Dias for an own goal after wrong-footing keeper Stefan Ortega.

Two minutes later Vinicius Jr delivered a brilliant through ball that Rodrygo took in his stride before his weak goal-bound shot was deflected by Manuel Akanji to give the hosts the lead.

City piled on the pressure and levelled in the 66th minute through a stunning Foden strike into the top corner and went ahead when Gvardiol fired home five minutes later.

But Valverde's glorious volley in the 79th rescued a draw for Real on another epic Champions League night that left the fans eager for more in the return leg in Manchester. 

Reuters