Manchester City beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 on Tuesday evening.
It was the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League and it was decided by a goal from Kevin de Bruyne in the 70th minute.
City dominated 71% of the possession but managed to register just two shots on target including the goal. Atletico set up incredibly defensively for the game and won’t be disappointed.
Because the tie is still very much in the balance and the next leg will take place in Spain at the Wanda Metropolitano next week.
And City don’t have the luxury of rotating ahead of it. They face Liverpool in the semi-final of the FA Cup at the weekend before facing them again in the Premier League the following weekend.
Atletico take on Mallorca on Saturday afternoon before hosting Espanyol in the Spanish capital the following matchday. Los Rojiblancos are going to back themselves to cause an upset.
“It was a difficult game against an extraordinary team that plays well and achieves based on the great individuals that they have,” Diego Simeone said post-match in comments carried by Marca.
“We wanted a close game and to break on the counter.
“They attacked us and, in the second half, they scored a goal. But it was a well-played game in what everyone was looking for. They won 1-0 and showed a lot of ambition to make it through the tie.
“The result is bad because we lost 1-0 and were looking to win.
“But we faced an extraordinary rival. They play in an extraordinary way. We played with the thought of getting through the tie. Using our tools against those that the rival have.”
