Pep Guardiola sets a record in the Champions League

Struggling victory first Atlético Madrid after two matches helped Pep Guardiola go down in history Champions League as the first leader to have 9 appearances in the semi-finals of the tournament (4 times with Barca, 3 times with Bayern Munich and twice with Manchester City).

Behind Guardiola are Carlo Ancelotti and Jose Mourinho with the same 8 appearances in the top 4 strongest teams.

Speaking after the battle, the captain of Man City said: “In the second half, Atletico played better. Man City were lucky not to concede a goal but overall, we still deserved to go through. Man City has reached the Champions League semi-finals for the third time (1 time with Manuel Pellegrini, 2 times with Pep). To me, this is an amazing achievement“.

According to Pep, Man City defended with the highest concentration. He paid tribute to Fernandinho. The Brazilian general entered the field in the 79th minute and helped the Premier League representative withstand the suffocating pressure from Atletico in the last minutes.

“Fernandinho got things moving in the right direction. Man City has no ball and plays without purpose. We forgot about our identity but partly because the opponent played so well“, the former Barca coach commented.

Man City was cornered by Atletico in the second half. The blue shirt defense had to fend off 12 shots, notably Angel Correa’s two close-range shots in the 87th and 90+12 minutes. Ederson and his teammates played focused to preserve the net.

Meanwhile, coach Diego Simeone said: “Atletico Madrid were defeated by an extraordinary opponent. Man City usually score 3, 4 goals per game but today, they had to play defensively. Atletico attacked a lot but could not score. We congratulate Man City on reaching the semi-finals“.