Pundit Rio Ferdinand was very impressed by Manchester City’s “phenomenal” performance last night against Real Madrid.
The two sides faced off in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final held the Spanish capital. Carlo Ancelotti’s side took the lead in the first half through Vinicius JR, but Kevin De Bruyne was able to level the scores in the second half and it finished 1-1 at full time.
Considering there’s still a second match to play, City will be feeling confident they can get the job done at home and secure their place in the final.
Speaking to BT Sport after the match, Ferdinand was full of praise for Pep Guardiola’s side and believes they can be very proud of their performance.
He stated, “These players here [at Manchester City] are playing against the history [of Real Madrid.] Again, we talked about it, the 14 trophies [Champions Leagues]. You look in their dugout, Carlo Ancelotti has got four Champions League winners medals. They know how to navigate every moment during these type of games because they’ve been so used to it.
“I think that was a phenomenal start for the first game, I think they [City] can come away from this with their head well-held high.”
Man City have only been in one Champions League final in their history. In 2021 they lost 1-0 to Chelsea in Portugal, a defeat they’ll be looking to rectify this season.
It would be so much sweeter for City if they were able to win the Premier League and the FA Cup to make it a treble in the 2022/23 campaign.
With the return leg taking place at the Ethiad, you feel as if it’s in their hands to get one of the two spots in this year’s Champions League final.