London (dpa)
Ruben Diaz expressed his frustration and disappointment after Manchester City was eliminated from the quarter-finals of the Champions League, losing at home to Real Madrid on penalty kicks.
Real Madrid qualified for the semi-finals of the Champions League, eliminating English champion Manchester City.
Real Madrid advanced 4-3 on penalties, after regular and extra time ended in a 1-1 draw, and the two teams tied in the first leg with a score of 3-3 last week in the Spanish capital.
At the Etihad Stadium, Real Madrid took the lead with a goal from Brazilian striker Rodrigo, after 12 minutes, and the English team equalized with a goal from Kevin De Bruyne in the 76th minute.
Real Madrid, which holds the record for winning the Champions League title 14 times, qualified to meet Bayern Munich in the semi-finals, after the German team ousted its English counterpart, Arsenal, in the quarter-finals.
The Madrid team also responded to Manchester City, which knocked them out in the semi-finals last season.
Diaz said after the match, “I don’t really know what to say. I just feel frustrated. We controlled the match throughout the two halves.”
He added: “In the end, the match goes to penalty kicks, but we had enough chances. It is clear that this is difficult to accept.”
He said: “Of course, with the way we controlled the match, we were doing everything to avoid going to penalty kicks, because that is what they wanted in one way or another, and it is difficult to accept it. There is only one way, looking forward, and you have many ways to look.” To it, from our side, we look at what we can improve. The team was there, we fought and we had our chances. I think it was not our day.”
Manchester City's official website quoted Diaz as saying, “We had chances. Sometimes the ball goes into the net, and other times it doesn't, and now we have to look at the challenges ahead in the season.”
He added: “We will not have much time to rest. It is a busy part of the season, and we know that now is the right time to be strong, especially on the mental level. We are now fighting for two very important titles.”
#Diaz…frustration #disappointment