Manchester City star Raheem Sterling hailed his teammates following their 2-1 Champions League last 16 second leg win at the Etihad Stadium.
Goals from Sterling and Gabriel Jesus ensured a repeat result from the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Real Madrid were far from their best against the Premier League side, but Sterling insisted City’s ability to impose themselves on Zinedine Zidane’s side was the key factor in progressing to the last eight.
“This is a competition we all want to do well in, and if we play our football and run our socks off, the result will come,” he told a post match interview with BT Sport, reported by the BBC.
“We know how good they (Real Madrid) are. But we are a good side, and the difference tonight was who would run the most.
“I thought we were brilliant. We showed real energy and passion to get this result.”
Real Madrid exit the competition at the last 16 stage for the second successive season, with Zidane losing his first ever Champions League knockout game as a manager.
City, on the other hand, are through to the last eight for the third successive, with Lyon their opponents next week in Lisbon.
Guardiola will be under pressure to improve their recent European record, with just one semi final appearance in the last five years, where they lost to Zidane’s first Real Madrid side in 2016.
