Football-loving Europe enjoyed the spectacle between Real Madrid and Manchester City in the quarterfinals of the Champions League (3-3) on Tuesday evening. However, there were also some critical remarks following the classic at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, from Pep Guardiola and Jamie Carragher.
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Because a classic it was. That's how the BBC described the first leg between the last two Champions League winners.
The Guardian saw an odd match full of twists, where brilliant moments were interspersed with periods where nothing happened at all. And The Daily Mail enjoyed a thriller that was hard to describe. 'What a European night this was. And that while Manchester City was far from majestic. Real Madrid wielded the scepter for much of the evening.'
With six goals evenly divided between both teams, there was plenty for the neutral spectator to enjoy, even though, according to Opta's statistics, only one and a half goals were expected. Such a large difference between reality and expectation has not been seen this season in the CL. This has everything to do with the goals described as 'fantastic' by Pep Guardiola from Josko Gvardiol and Phil Foden, while Federico Valverde's volley was also noteworthy.
With the return leg in Manchester still to come next week, Marca is wondering what awaits us next week. The Madrid-based sports newspaper speaks of a 'lively match' between the last two champions of Europe. The colleagues from AS immediately add the clash at Bernabéu to the canon of the rich history of the Champions League, knowing that two years ago at the Etihad Stadium they also provided a spectacle, when it ended 4-3 for City.
Real then advanced to the final by winning 3-1 at home after extra time. Guardiola noted afterwards that the Royal Club in Bernabéu is always a factor to consider, even if you are up 3-2 against Real with nineteen minutes left. 'This is their tournament. In this stadium, that feels like an eternity,' knows the Catalan, who did have a critical note. 'The stadium looks great, but they just need to do something about the turf. But Madrid has always had a good field.'
Despite this, Carlo Ancelotti felt that his team and City 'advertised football'. Juventus icon Alessandro Del Piero agreed. 'This was perhaps one of the best matches in the history of the Champions League, because of the level and the beauty of the goals.' The fact that some viewers missed it, as they were watching Arsenal - Bayern Munich, led to a call from CBS analyst Carragher on X. He wants UEFA to spread the kickoff times of the quarterfinals.
