On the evening of 10/12, in the sixth round of the Champions League group stage, coach Guardiola led Manchester City to a 2-1 victory at Real Madrid's Bernabeu stadium. When asked to compare his feelings to other matches there, he responded: "Every game is different. The first time I experienced it was the 6-2 victory. I deeply cherish wins against Real Madrid, especially when there have been so many changes and new players."

As coach of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City, Guardiola has accumulated many fond memories at the Bernabeu. One notable instance was his first visit in the second leg of La Liga during the 2008-2009 season. In that match 16 years ago, Barcelona secured a dominant victory, akin to a tennis set, with two goals each from Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi, complemented by strikes from Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique. Real Madrid's two goals came from Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Ramos.

Guardiola celebrates after Real Madrid's 1-2 loss to Manchester City in the sixth round of the Champions League group stage on the evening of 10/12. *Photo: AFP*

In yesterday's match, Rodrygo opened the scoring for Real Madrid in the 28th minute. However, Manchester City quickly turned the game around with Nico O'Reilly's follow-up shot and Erling Haaland's penalty kick, both within 15 minutes. According to Guardiola, the ability to withstand pressure, attack the space behind the opponent's defense, and capitalize on opportunities were the decisive factors.

"'When you score a goal, you find the right way to play. That goal changed everything,' Guardiola stated regarding O'Reilly's equalizer. 'It's a good lesson to play with a similar spirit in upcoming matches.'"

Manchester City's coach also believed that Antonio Rudiger should have received a second yellow card for fouling Haaland, accusing the referee of not issuing the card due to pressure at the Bernabeu stadium.

Guardiola also acknowledged that Manchester City benefited from Real Madrid missing several players due to injury, including Kylian Mbappe, Eder Militao, Dean Huijsen, Dani Carvajal, and Trent Alexander-Arnold. He praised Rodrygo, the forward who scored with a diagonal shot past Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 28th minute, describing him as very skilled and of a different class.

O'Reilly scores a close-range follow-up shot, equalizing 1-1 for Manchester City at the Bernabeu. *Photo: Reuters*

Guardiola also lauded and thanked his players after the victory. Regarding left-winger Jeremy Doku, he commented: "'Doku's dribbling ability is superb. Within 5 meters, I haven't seen any similar player. Doku's decision-making is also improving.'"

The win at the Bernabeu brings Manchester City closer to the round of 16. Guardiola's squad currently ranks 4th with 13 points, trailing only Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and PSG. If they defeat Bodo/Glimt and Galatasaray in their final two matches, they will secure a spot in the top 8. Real Madrid dropped from 5th to 7th place but still has a chance to directly qualify for the round of 16 if they overcome Monaco and Benfica.

Thanh Quy (according to AS)