Bernardo: We will fight until the end

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Manchester City F.C.

·16 Maret 2026

Bernardo: We will fight until the end

Bernardo Silva believes that Manchester City are capable of creating another special night in our Champions League clash with Real Madrid.

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City face a big task to progress to the quarter-finals in Europe following our 3-0 defeat in the Round of 16 first leg in Spain.

The City captain says the Spanish giants have plenty of quality but with the support of the Etihad Stadium, he says anything is impossible in the second leg at 20:00 (UK) on Tuesday.

“This sport has taught us that a lot of things can happen in a football game even though the result in Madrid was really bad, but we will fight until the end knowing it’s going to be tough,” Bernardo said in his pre-match news conference.

“The opponent is a good one, the result was not good but at home a lot of things can happen especially here at the Etihad. We’re going to try to create that.

“We know what this team is capable of but this season we lack consistency. We know we can reach that level but we weren’t able to maintain the level for the right amount of games. If we’re on it tomorrow, we know that it’s possible.”

Bernardo has been involved in some sensational games during his nine seasons at the Etihad already.

Not least the 3-2 victory over Aston Villa in 2022 to win the Premier League title when we trailed 2-0 before three goals in six minutes late on secured an unforgettable victory.

He also scored twice in the 4-0 victory over Madrid in 2023 which was possibly the greatest performance and result of the Pep Guardiola era.

The Portuguese midfielder says an early goal in the second leg would be ideal but insists the team will keep belief knowing we can create special moments.

“The earlier [we scan score] the better but no matter what, it can still happen,” Bernardo said.

“We know that in football, especially our team at home we are capable creating a lot of chances in a period of five, 10 or 20 minutes.

“Obviously if we score early it would be better, but we know we can’t concede because if we do the tie is over. We will take some risks and go for it.”

City started brightly in the Bernabeu last week before a Federico Valverde hat-trick gave Madrid a big advantage.

But despite the result, rewatching the game gave Bernardo hope and that the scoreline was far worse that the performance.

“I wouldn’t call them vulnerable, they beat us 3-0, I wouldn’t use that word right now,” he said when asked about the strengths of Madrid.

“When I got home, I was frustrated and wanted to watch the game. When I watched back, I don’t see a reason for us to be losing 3-0.

“The result was much worse than the performance. Of course that counts for nothing, football is like that. Everything looks like it’s really bad. I don’t think the performance was that bad.

“We have to believe Erling [Haaland] will score. When they have their chances, and they will because they have unbelievable quality, we have to believe that our defence will block or goalkeeper will save. Maybe it’s going to be possible.”