For the third season in a row, Manchester City's Champions League campaign has come to an end at the hands of Real Madrid. Having been smashed 3-0 at the Bernabéu six nights earlier, the Sky Blues required a perfect performance to stand any chance of a remontada on Tuesday. Well, with Bernardo Silva sent off in the 20th minute, and Vinícius Júnior converting the subsequent spot-kick, a comeback never appeared likely, ultimately annihilated 5-1 on aggregate.
Pep Guardiola was also booked by referee Clément Turpin during the first half, on what was a landmark if forgettable night for the Catalan coach. This was Guardiola's 191st Champions League match as a manager, meaning he now sits third on the all-time list.
Managers with 100+ European Cup or Champions League matches
Managers | Matches | UCL titles | Clubs |
|---|---|---|---|
Carlo Ancelotti | 218 | 5 | Parma, Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea, PSG, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich & Napoli. |
Sir Alex Ferguson | 206 | 2 | Aberdeen & Manchester United. |
Pep Guardiola | 191 | 3 | Barcelona, Bayern Munich & Man City. |
Arsène Wenger | 191 | 0 | Monaco & Arsenal. |
José Mourinho | 160 | 2 | Porto, Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid, Man United, Tottenham & Benfica. |
Diego Simeone | 126 | 0 | Atlético Madrid. |
Mircea Lucescu | 115 | 0 | Inter, Galatasaray, Beşiktaş, Shakhtar Donetsk & Dynamo Kyiv. |
Jürgen Klopp | 102 | 1 | Borussia Dortmund & Liverpool. |
Massimiliano Allegri | 100 | 0 | AC Milan & Juventus. |
Guardiola is now behind only Sir Alex Ferguson and Carlo Ancelotti when it comes to European Cup or Champions League fixtures managed. The Italian still leads the way by 27 games, so will Guardiola get the chance to chase down that record, amid speculation he could move on this summer?
It is inarguable that Manchester City's last two Champions League campaigns have been a total failure. Last year, Slovan Bratislava, Sparta Prague and Club Brugge were the only teams they managed to beat, finishing down in 22nd, before being smacked 6-3 by Real Madrid.
This time, the Citizens were much better in the league phase, albeit were beaten by Bayer Leverkusen and Bodø/Glimt, still managing to finish in the top eight. Nevertheless, this round of 16 exit at the hands of Real Madrid was about as comprehensive as it gets, demolished 5-1 on aggregate, with los Blancos racking up a combined xG figure of 5.77 compared to the Citizens' 2.54.
Man City were crowned champions of Europe for the very first time at the Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadı in İstanbul three years ago but, aside from that, their record in the competition is pretty underwhelming.
Manchester City's Champions League record under Pep Guardiola
- 2017: Round of 16 exit vs Monaco.
- 2018: Quarter-final exit vs Liverpool.
- 2019: Quarter-final exit vs Tottenham Hotspur.
- 2020: Quarter-final exit vs Olympique Lyonnais.
- 2021: Runners-up vs Chelsea.
- 2022: Semi-final exit vs Real Madrid.
- 2023: Winners vs Internazionale Milano.
- 2024: Quarter-final exit vs Real Madrid.
- 2025: First knockout round exit vs Real Madrid.
- 2026: Round of 16 exit vs Real Madrid.
The last four clubs to eliminate Man City from the Champions League are all Real Madrid, falling at the first hurdle in the knockout phase in both of the last two seasons. Given how dominant the Sky Blues have been domestically under Guardiola, picking up six Premier League titles and six domestic cups, it is reasonable to have expected better on the continent.
Now though, the Citizens are seeking to save their season. As well as Champions League elimination, following back-to-back draws in the league, they find themselves nine points adrift leaders Arsenal which, even with a game in hand, is a sizeable gap at this stage.
The top two go head-to-head at Wembley this forthcoming Sunday in the EFL Cup Final, which could be decisive. Can the Citizens re-assert their dominance, or can the Gunners kick-start, what they hope will be, a new-era of success in North London?