Man City legend shocked by Real Madrid’s performance – ‘Surprised me just like everyone else’ | OneFootball

Real Madrid delivered one of the most impressive performances of the UEFA Champions League knockout stage when they defeated Manchester City 3-0 in the first leg of the round of 16 at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The result shocked many, especially considering the strength of Pep Guardiola’s side and the expectation that the tie would be far more balanced. 

One of the people who admitted to being surprised by the magnitude of the result was former Manchester City star David Silva.

Speaking during a recent media appearance, Silva acknowledged that the outcome of the match was not something many expected.

“It surprised me just like everyone else, didn’t it?”

Warning Man City

Silva was referring to the dominant performance produced by the Spanish giants, particularly during the opening half of the match when Real Madrid seized control and built the advantage that ultimately decided the first leg.

The Man City legend went on to explain that the early momentum created by Madrid made a huge difference and admitted that the result caught most viewers off guard.

Valverde scored a hat-trick in Man City win. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

“I think it surprised us all. And it all happened in the first half. But this is football, and these things can happen.”

Despite Real Madrid holding a strong advantage heading into the return fixture, Silva believes the tie is not completely over yet. 

However, he stressed that Manchester City will need to take risks and start aggressively if they want to keep their hopes alive. 

“There’s still another match to go, and let’s hope City can score early and make the tie interesting,” he noted.

Furthermore, according to the former midfielder, the key for City will be scoring early to apply pressure and disrupt Madrid’s ability to control the match.

“City has to go all out and score early, to make it exciting and prevent Real Madrid from playing calmly and scoring, because it changes everything if Madrid manages to score in the first half. 

“With Madrid, you have to be very careful with your marking—we’ve already seen that they can kill you on the counterattack,” Silva concluded.

Source: Mundo Deportivo