Manchester City star forward Kevin De Bruyne was absent during the 3-3 draw in the UEFA Champions League first leg of the quarter-finals clash. This left fans asking why this could be, given that the Belgian is an integral part of Pep Guardiola’s squad.
Guardiola has since responded to the question surrounding the controversial decision. The Spaniard indicated that the decision was informed by the fact that De Bruyne was ill.
“He feels unwell. I don’t know [if he can play some part]. We had a meeting and he was ready, and when he arrived, he said he felt unwell and said he wasn’t ready,” Guardiola told TNT Sport.
Guardiola made four changes to his starting XI for the match, with Manuel Akanji, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, and Mateo Kovacic all coming back into the team.
Manchester City will hope to take a good result home from the Bernabeu ahead of the second leg at the Etihad next week. Before that game, they will resume their Premier League title push on Saturday at home to Luton Town.
Long-range strikes from Phil Foden and Josko Gvardiol looked to have secured a dramatic win on the night for Pep Guardiola’s European champions after Madrid had scored twice in the space of two minutes to take the lead following Bernardo Silva’s early goal.
Two deflected strikes brought 14-time European Cup winners Madrid level. First, Eduardo Camavinga’s long-range effort hit Ruben Dias and spun into the far corner of Stefan Ortega’s goal, before Rodrygo got in behind the City defense and poked home via Manuel Akanji’s heel.
