Man City knocked out of UCL after a misguided Bernardo Silva penalty
The UCL second-leg quarter-final clash of Man City vs Real Madrid has been in the headlines after a significant Bernardo Silva penalty miss that resulted in the English side being knocked out of the competition in their own backyard. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, piling on the aggregate scoreline to 4-4 across the two legs.
It was then all relied on the penalty shootout to decide the semi-finalists for this year. However, City went on to lose the penalty shootout by 3-4 to Real Madrid. The loss was made more hurtful for the home-side fans as one of their most reliable players and senior member of the squad Bernardo Silva miss-fired a crucial penalty to kill his side’s hopes for advancing into the next phase of the tournament.
When Bernardo Silva stepped up to take one of the penalties for his side, almost all the fans inside the stadium were hoping for the net to budge as it looked like he would score it past Real’s goalkeeper. However, Silva fired in a rather tame effort toward the goal that landed straight into the hands of the opposition’s goalkeeper Andry Lunin.
The Man City supporters were stunned and Pep Guardiola looked dejected. The away end filled with the Los Blancos’ fans was eruptious and loud after Silva’s penalty doldrum. The incident somehow showed that even the best can sometimes falter under high-pressure situations. Bernardo Silva has been one of the consistent performers for the Premier League club in the years gone by at the highest level.
What’s next for Man City after being knocked out of the UCL?
After being knocked out of the UCL by Real Madrid, there’s still a lot to play for Man City as far as their 2023-2024 campaign is concerned. They would take on Chelsea in the FA Cup Semi-final at Wembley soon in a clash in which they are tipped to be the favorites to win. If they manage to win that, Pep Guardiola’s side would come up against either Man United or Coventry City in the final of the prestigious competition.
As far as their Premier League title race is concerned, City is sitting in the front seat and has control of their destiny in their own hands. Both of their table-top rivals, Arsenal and Liverpool lost their previous league matches to hand the reigning champions a two-point lead that currently makes them sit at the top of the league table with 73 points.
With just six games to go in the season for all Man City, Liverpool, and Arsenal, Pep Guardiola’s side can use all of their experience and squad strength to capture what would be a historic consecutive fourth Premier League title. However, they must not take anything for granted moving into the business end of the season as things can change pretty quickly.
Also Read: Man City vs Real Madrid Player Ratings as Bernardo Silva Fails to Score Penalty