"Feel a little bit sorry for Manchester City" - Peter Schmeichel says Real Madrid have got 'no right' to be in the UEFA Champions League final
Former Manchester City goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel believes Real Madrid were quite poor in their Champions League semi-final win over the Cityzens. He even went on to say that he felt bad for his former side and that Los Blancos did not deserve to be in the final.
Madrid beat City 3-1 on yet another incredible Champions League night at the Santiago Bernabeu on May 4 this season. They lost 4-3 in the first leg at the Etihad last week and needed a comeback.
However, that didn't happen for a large part of the game as Riyad Mahrez went on to score for the visitors in the 73rd minute.
With an aggregate score of 3-5, Real Madrid looked down and out. However, substitute Rodrygo Goes incredibly scored twice within two minutes (90 & 90+1) to take the match to extra time.
Karim Benzema then scored a penalty in the first half of extra time to make it 6-5 on aggregate and take his side to the Champions League final.
FT: @realmadriden 3-1 @ManCity (agg. 6-5)
@RodrygoGoes 90', 90'+1', @Benzema 95'; Mahrez 73'
🏁 FT: @realmadriden 3-1 @ManCity (agg. 6-5)
⚽ @RodrygoGoes 90', 90'+1', @Benzema 95'; Mahrez 73'
#UCL | #Emirates | #APorLa14 https://t.co/IwaOSruC4Q
Speaking after the game, Schmeichel opined that Manchester City were the better side on the night and deserved to go through. He said on CBS Sports (via Metro):
"The first chance was the first goal in the 90th minute, the second goal was the second chance and the third goal was the third time they hit the target. Real Madrid have got no right to be in that final. They were the poorest team by a mile over the two games.
"Man City were in full control but it’s that one moment we talked about that. We talked about how that stadium in there could be the 12th man."
He added:
"When they started that second half, that chance after just eight seconds it was like they set the whole place on fire and it was just unbelievable. I feel a little bit sorry for Manchester City, I have to say that because I thought apart from that goal in the 90th minute they played really well, they had everything under control."
Los Blancos will face Liverpool in the Champions League final on May 28 at the Stade de France.
Manchester City rue their chances as Real Madrid reach yet another Champions League final
Manchester City had many more and much better chances than Real Madrid over the two legs of their Champions League semi-final clash. The Premier League side had 31 attempts on goal, with 16 being on target.
The Spanish side, meanwhile, had 25 attempts on goal with 10 being on target.
How did Ferland Mendy pull this off? Match saving tackle….#UCL⚔️🤯 https://t.co/OYFivg7dRl
In the second leg on Wednesday, Jack Grealish's shot was saved off the line by Ferland Mendy, who could've sealed the win for Manchester City. However, Madrid went on to score at the other end just three minutes later and commenced their comeback.
It was another case of another side missing their chances against Los Blancos in the Champions League this season, only to regret it later. Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea faced this earlier as they lost 3-2 and 5-4 in the Round of 16 and quarter-finals respectively to Real Madrid.