Kevin De Bruyne could be heard asking for Luka Modric’s shirt after Real Madrid and Manchester City played out a thrilling Champions League quarter-final tie….CONTINUE READING
It was tipped to be an entertaining affair ahead of kick-off but few would have predicted the drama that unfolded inside the new-look Bernabeu on Tuesday night.
Bernardo Silva fired the visitors ahead inside two minutes after some sloppy goalkeeping from Andriy Lunin.
Los Blancos hit back soon after following an own goal from Ruben Dias and moments later, Brazilian forward Rodrygo made it 2-1 with 14 minutes on the clock.
Things escalated further in Madrid when Phil Foden and Josko Gvardiol regained City’s advantage with two second-half screamers from range.
But with ten minutes of normal time remaining, Uruguay international Federico Valverde scored a Champions League goal of the season contender to give the hosts a fighting in the second leg.
The technique on this from Valverde. Oh my word. 😶 pic.twitter.com/8yqSmUwNmB
— HLTCO (@HLTCO) April 9, 2024
After the full-time whistle on Tuesday night, Kevin De Bruyne made his way over to Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, who is set to leave Los Blancos at the end of the season.
The Belgian could be heard asking for Modric’s shirt as the pair exchanged pleasantries.
Kevin De Bruyne made sure he got Luka Modric’s shirt after that game 😁#UCL pic.twitter.com/DP7rbmndFi
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 9, 2024
De Bruyne was a surprise omission from the Manchester City line-up for the quarter-final first leg clash. In fact, he didn’t feature throughout after missing the team’s pre-match warm-up.
Pep Guardiola explained why he dropped the in-form midfielder ahead of kick-off.
Speaking to TNT Sports, he said: “Vomit. He feels unwell.”
When asked if he could play, Guardiola added: “I don’t know. We made a meeting, he was ready and when we arrived in the locker room he started to vomit and feel unwell and he said, ‘I’m not ready.’
“Of course, it’s not good news, but it is what it is – another player is going to play and they are ready to play 90 minutes and everyone is going to help.”
Guardiola would later single out one of City’s goal scorers in his post-match interview.
“In the second-half we really showed our personality in terms of how we play,” he told TNT Sports. “Coming back from 2-1 in Manchester would have been difficult. Instead we scored two fantastic goals but defending fifteen minutes in this stadium is an eternity. 3-3, we will take it.
“I told (the players) to be more calm and to attack outside. Now I say: ‘guys it’s 45 minutes after 90 minutes’. There is a lot of football to be played.
“We are lucky that [Josko] Gvardiol is with us today. He was amazing in how he played. He’s a lovely guy and we are so happy to have him.”
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