Pep Guardiola hails Man City owners as ‘year of pain’ avenged in Real Madrid win

Pep Guardiola was full of praise for Manchester City’s owners after booking their place in this year’s Champions League final with a thumping win over Real Madrid on Wednesday night. A brace from Bernardo Silva alongside further goals from Manuel Akanji and Julian Alvarez saw City claim the spoils at the end of a historic match at the Etihad Stadium, with the hosts doing a demolition job on last year’s European champions to set up a decisive meeting with Inter Milan next month.

It was clear from the outset that City were in no mood to see their Champions League hopes dashed once again, with Guardiola’s men dominating possession and carving out plenty of chances during the early stages of the contest. Their patience was eventually rewarded in the 23rd minute when Silva fired past Thibaut Courtois to get City ahead on the night before doubling his side’s advantage as the half-time whistle approached.

City’s dominance continued into the second half, with Akanji going on to score their third goal of the evening in the 76th minute after it was initially claimed that Eder got the final touch by diverting the ball into his own net. Alvarez then managed to add the cherry on the cake for City with a composed finish as the clock ticked down, eliminating any lingering doubts over a remarkable Real Madrid comeback and wrapping up an awe-inspiring win for the Premier League leaders.

A beaming Guardiola spoke of his admiration for everybody connected with City after the final whistle, with the Spaniard singing the praises of the club’s owners and staff for helping to build a winning culture behind the scenes.

“At home we feel incredibly comfortable with our people,” he told BT Sport. “I have a feeling we had one year playing in our stomach after what happened last season, so painful. When people say [we have a] lack of character, we show again how special this group of players are. They work with a real purpose and we are there.”

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