Gary Neville has leapt to the defence of Atletico Madrid's players following their antics on Wednesday night whilst acknowledging it may be an "unpopular view".
The Spanish side were dumped out of the Champions League by Manchester City following the goalless draw at the Wanda Metropolitano. However, the clash was marred by several unsavoury scenes as players and coaches were involved in a mass brawl.
Atletico centre-half Stefan Savic received heavy criticism whilst Felipe was sent-off. Their actions were widely condemned with Rio Ferdinand taking aim at the LaLiga side, labelling them as "disgraceful" and "embarrassing" as footage was captured of an incident in the tunnel.
Ferdinand said on BT Sport: "Disgraceful behaviour from the Atletico players, they should be embarrassed with some of the antics they have gone on. You have to say, talking about football, well done to Atletico Madrid as they made Manchester City play in a way we haven't seen for a long time, took them out of their rhythm and their stride, but some of the stuff towards the end was not what you want to see on a football pitch."
Neville however has taken a different angle following the highly-charged affair. The quarter-final tie was billed as a clash of styles due to the respective philosophies of Pep Guardiola and Diego Simeone. The Spanish side were seen as underdogs and Neville praised the efforts of Atletico.
He wrote on social media: "I loved the Real Madrid v Chelsea match. Unpopular view but I loved the Atletico Madrid v City match too. I know most were disappointed with the Atletico Madrid behaviour, but I sort of enjoyed it. Try and find a way to win, even if you're inferior in talent. City’s players will be proud this morning in overcoming it!"
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City will now face Real Madrid in the semi-finals as they seek to make another final, where they will face either Liverpool or Villarreal in Paris. The Champions League remains the holy grail for those at the Etihad having won everything domestically over the past decade.
Guardiola said after the two-legged victory: “This is the third time in our history we are in the semi-finals. We are in the semi-finals and for our club that is an incredible achievement. In this stadium in this competition, it is always difficult. It is a big compliment for the players.
“We cannot expect every time to make everything marvellous. We have to suffer. When a team plays like that we could not have the ball and our build-up was in danger. It is 1-0 in the UEFA Champions League, we are not used to being in this competition much.”
