Cautious optimism for Zidane and Pellegrini
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Article summary
Both coaches were satisfied after a goalless draw between Manchester City and Real Madrid, though for Zinédine Zidane it was tinged with a feeling his side could have snatched it.
Article top media content
Article body
- Joe Hart makes fantastic stop to deny Pepe late on as City hold Real Madrid
- Zinédine Zidane hopeful that Cristiano Ronaldo will be back for second leg
- Manuel Pellegrini says David Silva is likely to miss next week with thigh strain
- Ten-time winners Real Madrid bidding to reach their 14th European Cup final
- The second leg is at the Bernabéu next Wednesday, with the final in Milan on 28 May
Manuel Pellegrini, Manchester City manager
I'm not happy with the draw because we played a very intense game and defended well. We tried to create until David Silva got injured then we lost the ball too much. If you cannot win then a 0-0 draw is next best thing.
I think Madrid came here with a result in mind. We attacked Madrid, but we couldn't create a clear chance. In terms of intent, we had the most intent. Madrid had a real chance from that late corner, but luckily for us Joe Hart kept it out.
We knew they would try and play a slow game and we played very well against it. We pressed as a team, but unfortunately when we had the ball we couldn't make chances, we couldn't score.
I don't think Madrid are favourites now. We have had good results playing away from home this season, against PSG, Dynamo Kyiv and Sevilla. We are not afraid of going to the Bernabéu.
Zinédine Zidane, Real Madrid coach
Overall, I am happy. It wasn't easy – we had a tough game but we defended really, really well. We had the ball more in the second half and we could have scored with the chances we had. I am a little bit disappointed as we could have deserved more. We always go out to win.
Cristiano [Ronaldo] felt something after the last training session, that's all there is to it. We didn't want to make it worse. Karim is a little bit different: as the game progressed he felt worse in himself. We don't want to gamble on fitness as we know how important both players are for us. Hopefully they can both play the second leg.
Before the game I thought it was 50/50, and I still think it is 50/50. We are at home now, and we know what we are capable of at home, but it's still 50/50 and it will be until the death. It's the semi-finals of the Champions League and we know it will never be easy.
