'I had feeling we could play this game...

PEP Guardiola saw a year of pain and criticism pour out onto the Etihad pitch as City avenged their semi-final defeat at the hands of Real Madrid with a thumping victory

- SIMON BAJKOWSKI

City beat Real at this stage of the Champions League last year 4-3 in the first leg and went another goal up at the Bernabeu, only to concede two goals in injury time and lose the tie in extra time to suffer another painful exit from a competition they are yet to win. An impressive 1-1 draw last week left this year’s contest in the balance but Guardiola’s team swept to a 4-0 win at the Etihad to confirm their place against Inter Milan next month.

Guardiola had been at pains to tell his players not to seek revenge in this game as he spent the build-up to both legs playing down the importance of it. However, once it had concluded the manager lifted the lid on how he and the squad had embraced the idea of taking on the criticism they had received for their disappointment last season.

“I had the feeling these last days that we had a mix of calm and tension to play this type of game. After 10 or 15 minutes, I had the feeling that all the pain that we had during one year from what happened last season was there today,” he said.

“It was so hard and tough last season when he we played quite similar to today and I remember Toni Kroos gave an interview saying they could have lost 10-1 or 10-2 at the Etihad. Kroos is one of the best players I have ever seen and trained and when he says that it means we were there and it was really tough losing the way we lose.