PEP HAILS TEAM'S REAL RESILIENCE

City bounce back from a goal down and poor first half-hour to beat Los Blancos 2-1

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MADRID - Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praised his players' resilience and determination, after they fought back to secure a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid in their Champions League encounter at the Santiago Bernabeu on Dec 10.

Despite a lacklustre opening 30 minutes in which City looked vulnerable to Real’s relentless forward play, Nico O’Reilly’s equaliser and Erling Haaland’s penalty overturned Rodrygo’s early opener to hand the visitors three vital points in league-phase action.

Guardiola admitted that his side had been second best in the opening stages of the game but lauded the character that allowed them to recover from a sluggish start.

“We've been here several times and played much, much better than today and didn’t win,” the Spaniard said of City’s previous visits to the Bernabeu.

“In the first 25 minutes, until the goal from Nico, they were much better than us. I will take the result but I know we need to be better.