Mesut Ozil reacts to Real Madrid’s crushing 5-1 aggregate defeat to Manchester City in UEFA Champions League semifinal
Former Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Ozil has reacted to Los Blancos' crushing 5-1 defeat to Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League semifinals.
After a 1-1 draw in the first leg at Santiago Bernabeu, Pep Guardiola's men tightened the screws at the Etihad, recording a smashing 4-0 victory. The 5-1 aggregate win meant the Cityzens qualified for their second Champions League final in three years.
Bernardo Silva scored twice in the first half with Manuel Akanji and Julian Alvarez adding another two goals in the second 45. Toni Kroos came close to opening the scoring for the visitors with a long range shot which hit the bar.
Former Los Blancos star Ozil took to Twitter after the match to send a message to his former side. The tweet read:
"No matter what... ¡Hala Madrid!"
No matter what... ¡Hala Madrid! 🤍🫂 https://t.co/8tjDW1tyQN
Ozil, who has now retired from football, spent three years with Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013. He made 159 appearances for the club, scoring 27 and assisting 81 goals, and won La Liga once.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola prepared for treble push
Manchester City have a golden opportunity to become the second English team after Manchester United to win a treble of the Premier League, Champions League and the FA Cup.
While they are in the finals of both the FA Cup and Champions League, they need one more win to secure the league title.
Addressing the situation, Guardiola said:
"We're closer. Let me win the first two! In the Premier League we are close, we need one more game. And I would say when we play against our neighbours and in the final of the Champions League against an Italian team, be calm. The season is really good already with what we have done."
He continued:
"Now we have to lift the trophies but we've had so much joy and fun with our people this season. We made our fans happy all around the world. They saw a good team playing. This is the biggest compliment. But we are going to try."
The Manchester City boss added:
"We are three games away, one in each competition. We can do it. But for me it is more important after many years that we are there," the City boss said after the Real Madrid win.
Manchester City will face Inter Milan in the Champions League final, while they will play Manchester United in the FA Cup final.
City's next game in the Premier League is against Chelsea, where three points will be enough to secure their status as the 2022-23 season league champions.