Phil Foden has admitted Manchester City missed the opportunity to kill Real Madrid off in the thrilling first leg of their Champions League semi-final, and has warned his team will be punished if they continue to waste chances in the second leg at the Bernabeu.
City raced into a two-goal lead at the Etihad thanks to early goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus but after Riyad Mahrez and Foden had chances on the break to add a third, Real Madrid came back into it following a brilliant finish from captain Karim Benzema.
Pep Guardiola’s side scored twice more in the second half, with Foden adding a third with a downward header and Bernardo Silva’s strike, but they could have had more - and in the end their advantage finished as only one after Vinicius Jr’s solo goal and Benzema’s late Panenka penalty.
It leaves the tie in the balance heading into the return leg next week, with Manchester City rueing their profligacy in front of goal. Despite City’s performance, Foden said afterwards that his team must improve both with their finishing and on the ball if they are to advance to the final.
“We started really well and could have killed them off. In these games, we need to take more chances,” Foden told BT Sport. “We are playing a side that have won the Champions League many times and if we give the ball away they are going to punish us. It is something we need to work on in the second leg.”
Benzema’s late penalty, awarded after a handball on Aymeric Laporte, changed the complexion of the tie and left City at the risk of feeling flat despite winning the first leg, with Bernardo urging his side to look at the positives of their display.
“I think the first 20 minutes, we were so, so good, the way we pressed, controlled the game, and created chances,” Bernardo said. “Over the 90 minutes, it felt like we could have won with a better score.
“Unfortunately, we were not able to take advantages of our two-goal differences. That’s the Champions League. We played against one of the best teams in the world. On to the next game.
“We still won the first game. I know it’s just 90 minutes, and we have 90 minutes left. I think the fans should be proud of us, and the team should be proud of the work that we did. They took their chances. We could have taken a bit more.”
