Spartak Moscow troll Manchester City after crushing UEFA Champions League defeat to Real Madrid
Russian giants Spartak Moscow have taken a sly dig at Manchester City following their exit from the Champions League.
The Sky Blues were beaten 3-1 by Real Madrid last night to bow out 6-5 on aggregate as they fell short of their European ambitions once again.
Having lost the 2021 final to Chelsea, Pep Guardiola's troops were minutes away from reaching another one, but a late comeback from the hosts brought their run to a halt.
Spartak Moscow made the most of their latest failure by trolling Manchester City for having an identical record of zero Champions League titles.
The club wrote on Twitter:
"Can confirm that we have the same amount of UCL trophies as Manchester City."
Despite heavy sanctions on Russian clubs following the country's invasion of Ukraine, the Gladiators continue to retain their sense of humor.
The tweet drew mixed reactions from fans in the comments, with some piling on City further, while some hit back at Moscow for their own poor record.
They've only played 12 times in the Champions League, while progressing from the group stages just once and were last seen in the competition during the 2017-18 season.
FT: Real Madrid 3-1 Manchester City (6-5 AGG).
REAL MADRID ARE IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL! 🌟🌟🌟 https://t.co/WkRhGXpEgr
As far as Manchester City are concerned, the club have consistently failed in their European objective since the Emirati takeover in 2008.
Last year was only their first Champions League final in history but ended up on the losing side.
There were huge expectations from them this year too, particularly after their rampaging run in the earlier stages of the competition, but they fell short yet again.
The Premier League champions are now looking to retain their domestic title with them holding a one-point advantage over Liverpool with just four games remaining.
Manchester City manager's European drought continues
Pep Guardiola is currently the most successful manager in Manchester City's history, but his failures in the Champions League stick out like a sore thumb.
It's been over a decade since he last won the big ol' ears, having also failed to deliver the trophy during his three-year stint at Bayern Munich.
Pep Guardiola has still never won a Champions League without Lionel Messi. https://t.co/Jiv11o2jJa
Many have attributed his two European titles with Barcelona to Lionel Messi's brilliance, with Guardiola himself admitting he was "lucky" to have the Argentine in his squad.
These claims only get more substance with City's failures each passing year as the Spaniard has been accused of overthinking in big European clashes.