Pep Guardiola failed to break his Champions League curse with Manchester City after Real Madrid became the latest team to inflict European agony on the Spaniard.
Having fallen at the final hurdle last season, when Premier League rivals Chelsea pipped City to European glory, Guardiola was looking to go one better this year and finally claim the continent's greatest honour with his star-studded side. However, the 51-year-old once again suffered Champions League heart-break after yet another capitulation.
Having edged a seven-goal epic at the Etihad last week, Riyad Mahrez's 73rd-minute strike put City into commanding in the Santiago Bernabeu. City would then implode a matter of minutes away from reaching a second successive Champions League final.
Los Blancos substitute Rodrygo struck a stoppage-time double to stun City and send the contest to extra time. Karim Benzema would then convert an extra-time penalty to see Real Madrid set up a Champions League final date with Liverpool next month and send City packing.
The sensational comeback means Guardiola's pursuit of European glory with City has been shelved for yet another season. The latest blow marks the sixth successive campaign in which the Spaniard has fallen short in delivering the Manchester club with a coveted Champions League crown.
Following the latest setback, Mirror Football takes a closer look at Guardiola's reactions from each of City's European exits.
Monaco (2016-17)
In Guardiola's first season at the helm, City suffered a surprise Round of 16 exit to an eye-catching Monaco side. Having edged an eight-goal Etihad thriller 5-3 in the first leg, City then fell to a 3-1 defeat in the French Riviera to head out on away goals.
Leroy Sane replied for City after Kylian Mbappe and Fabinho struck for Monaco, before Tiemoue Bakayoko headed in the winner to stun City, who were just 13 minutes away from progressing. Speaking after the contest, Guardiola refused to blame his defence for the damaging defeat, instead insisting the gap between first and second half performances was the decisive factor.
Guardiola said: “No, it’s not about the defence. Today was not about that – why was the second half a problem with the defence? The problem was the first half when we were not there.
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"Our strikers have to be aggressive and pick the ball up, but we didn’t. At this crucial time – that’s why we are out. We have to play more than 45 minutes. It’s not about the defence and the goalkeeper.
"In the second half we won the second balls and how many chances did they create? Nothing. The gap between our first and second-half performances was too big.
“All managers make mistakes. If the other manager wins, he’s the better one. But I don’t think it was down to a tactical mistake. It’s simple. The difference between the first and the second half – the second half we tried to win the game. It will help us a lot in the future and [we will] learn from that. That is my feeling now.”
Liverpool (2017-18)
Guardiola's second Champions League assault with City was ended by an all-too familiar face in Liverpool at the quarter-final stage. The Reds stormed to a 3-0 success over the Spaniard's side at Anfield, before going on to complete the job with a 2-1 triumph in City's own back yard.
As frustrations got the better of him at the Etihad, Guardiola was banished to the stands by referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz for his passionate touchline protests. Sane saw a goal wrongly ruled out for offside despite the ball deflecting off Liverpool's James Milner, while the Spaniard was further incensed by Lahoz's refusal to point to the spot after Raheem Sterling was caught by Andy Robertson in the area.
On this occasion, Guardiola very much viewed dubious decisions over both legs as the reason for City's exit. The former Barcelona boss blasted: "I said he was wrong. I didn't insult him. I just said it was a penalty and it was a goal.
"The ball (for Sane) came from (James) Milner. He said, 'From Milner it came?'. 'Yes, from Milner'. When it comes from Milner it is not offside, and we go to half-time 2-0. 2-0 against that team is a little bit different.
"In these kind of games, in these competitions, the impact is so big. At Anfield the first goal from (Mohamed) Salah is offside. The goal from Gabriel Jesus in Anfield was a goal, not offside.
"I should say big congratulations to Liverpool for going through. Hopefully they can defend English football in the semi-finals. They are a top team with a top manager and I would say they deserve to be in the final. We will come back stronger next season."
Tottenham (2018-19)
While City did indeed look an even more imperious outfit the following season, the European adventure was once again halted at the quarter-final stage at the hands of Premier League opposition. This time it would be Tottenham.
Spurs entered the second leg at the Etihad with a slender 1-0 advantage following a cagey first leg; chaos then ensued in the return. City won the reverse 4-3 but fell to another away-goals defeat as Guardiola dropped to his knees in despair after Sterling was denied a dramatic late winner by VAR.
In the immediate aftermath, the City boss insisted his team needed to react and "sleep as much as possible" in order to ease the heart-ache and avoid the defeat derailing their Premier League season. Days later, Guardiola admitted it would take time to heal.
He said: "You believe it doesn't hurt or I've forgotten it? I would say no. I don't want the players to forget what they live. It will take time but they have to live with that. They have to play and want to compete with that feeling.
"What we lived last Wednesday in terms of emotion, or just simple life, was incredible. We are fortunate, lucky to live it. More than 65,000 people enjoying the most exciting moment, and then in one second everybody is devastated.
"It was incredible how well we played. But it's football, it's life. What's important is how you behave. It was a tough night but the day after we stand up and move forward. These players have another opportunity to show they're able to do that."
Lyon (2019-20)
The quarter-final curse would continue into the 2019-20 campaign as Guardiola endured his most embarrassing City exit yet as his star-studded side succumbed to Ligue 1 outfit Lyon. Having overcome Real Madrid in the previous round, the Catalonian was then accused of "over-thinking" his line-up as he drastically changed his system to match up with Lyon, a move which subsequently saw City slip to a shock 3-1 defeat to the French side in a Covid-enforced one-off encounter in Lisbon.
Shortly after the setback, Guardiola insisted his side would "one day bridge the gap" before refusing to offer his insight on the VAR review for Lyon's third goal amid fears he would sound like he was making excuses. He said: "It is what it is and hopefully one day we'll bridge this gap.
"We struggled in the first 25 minutes but in the second half we felt free, we were there and I had the feeling we were better than them but you have to be perfect in this competition and we were not.
"I don't know, I don't want to talk about those circumstances because sometimes it seems like I'm complaining or looking for excuses. We are out, I had the feeling we were incredible already, but we made mistakes in the boxes in the key moments."
Guardiola also rued an astonishing miss from Sterling which would have seen City level the match at 2-2, moments before Moussa Dembele struck his second and Lyon's third. He added: "That moment sums up this competition, we had to equalise and after we conceded the third goal.
"That's this competition, you have to be perfect. We created more chances, had more shots, we did everything but unfortunately we are out again."
Chelsea (2020-21)
A sublime 4-1 semi-final success over French giants Paris Saint-Germain saw Guardiola guide City to their first ever Champions League final, where Premier League rivals Chelsea would await. Once again, the Spaniard would be accused of tinkering too much with his tactics as he contentiously opted against playing either captain Fernandinho or fellow holding midfielder Rodri.
The decision would backfire as City would go on to lose 1-0 with Kai Havertz emerging as Chelsea's match-winner. Guardiola would hold his hands up over the error of judgement.
"I did what I thought was the best decision [on his team selection]," Guardiola said to BT Sport. "[Kevin de Bruyne] got injured but that happens in this competition and in these games. We needed everyone.
"The ambition now is to rest but then prepare for the next season. It was the first time we were at this stage. Hopefully we will be here again in the future.
"It has been an exceptional season for us. It was a tight game. We had chances. We were brilliant in the second half, we were brave and we could not convert the chances as they were so strong.
"The players were exceptional. We come back maybe one day again!"
Real Madrid (2021-22)
Guardiola's hopes of returning to a Champions League final have, however, been put on hold for now. Real Madrid became the latest team to put the Spaniard's side to the sword as they sensationally snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
Once again, Guardiola openly admitted the pain of more European misery as his side came agonisingly close to a second successive shot at Champions League silverware. He said: “We were close but we were in trouble when they put balls into the box, with so many crosses.
"I had defeats in the Champions League, at Barcelona and we could not reach the final, but there's no doubt it's hard for us. We can't deny we were so close to the Champions League final. We didn't play well in the first half but it's normal in this competition.
"It has happened many times in their history. They put a lot of players in the box, all of them crosses, and they scored two goals. We didn't suffer much until they scored, but we didn't play our best.
"We need time now. We have to do it with our people. The players gave everything. We were so close. We couldn’t do it. In the history of football this happens. With the people supporting them it’s more difficult.
"This will have a positive impact on the Real players. On us? I don’t know. They won, that’s it. We weren’t suffering all that much I don’t think."
