Pep Guardiola praised Manchester City’s patience when Kevin de Bruyne broke stubborn resistance to Atletico Madrid’s 1-0 win in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday. Guardiola’s side spent much of the night banging their heads against the red and white wall of Atletico’s collective defense at the Etihad Stadium. But Guardiola sent off Phil Foden in the middle of the second half and his sublime pass prompted De Bruyne to eventually reward City for their field dominance.
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“I didn’t expect to win three or four zeros. I knew who we were facing. They’ve been together for many years,” Guardiola said.
“They defend so well, so compact and so deep. We were patient. You have to be against these teams. They want you to be worried.
“It’s a good result. Unfortunately we had a few more chances to score again with Kevin.”
While Guardiola launched a water bottle in a frenzied celebration that underlined what a testing night it was for his team, the City boss knows the tie is not over.
“Even a 1-0 lead is difficult for Madrid,” Guardiola said.
“We have to control our emotions. It will be a good test for us, for our maturity. We will try to score and win matches.”
At the start of an 11-day season for the treble-chasing City, it was a deserved success that justified his patient performance.
But Atletico have already outplayed Manchester United in the last 16 this season, while Liverpool fell victim to Diego Simeone’s side when the Reds were holders in 2019-20.
The Spanish champions believe they can create another surprise in the second leg in Madrid on April 13.
“It is clear that we were playing against an extraordinary opponent. We have to use a good defense and without being embarrassed,” Simeone said.
“We need to get better, see if we can keep the ball a little longer in the second leg. Maybe we can create more problems. We’re still in a tie.”
City leaves little room for error in the next two weeks as Premier League leaders host Liverpool a point behind them in the title race on Sunday.
They will travel to Madrid next week before facing Liverpool again in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley three days later.
‘Special Quality’
Guardiola has often been criticized for his curious team selection in the previous Champions League knockout stage loss with City.
However, Guardiola’s game-changing decision to introduce Foden should silence some critics as it turns a difficult evening into a crucial victory.
“When the game was a little flat, we knew we could turn it around with substitutes,” Guardiola said.
“Phil has a special quality. He had the courage to make an incredible assist and Kevin is in the best moment of his season.”
As always, City monopolized possession, yet Atlético often found themselves shuffling midfield before closing the door on them.
Simeon’s famous pragmatic approach presented the exact opposite of the puritanical theories supported by Guardiola.
Slowly, City rose to the challenge and Ilke Gundogan came close with a curling shot that deflected Stefan Savic wide shortly after the interval.
De Bruyne’s free-kick eventually forced Jan Oblak to make the first save, while Raheem Sterling pulled off his attempt well from a dangerous position later.
When Aymerick Laporte moved flawlessly from Riyad Mahrez’s corner, Guardiola saw enough and sent in Foden, Jack Grealish and Gabriel Jesus.
Foden’s arrival was an inspired move as the England forward played a key role when City scored for the last time in the 70th minute.
Capturing outside the Atletico area, Foden slipped away from two defenders and slid a precise pass to De Bruyne, who timed his run perfectly to drill a low strike into the far corner from a tight angle.
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