Guardiola acknowledges concerns at Man City regarding Mourinho’s approach with Benfica.
MANCHESTER, England — Pep Guardiola has disclosed that the Manchester City squad observed the concluding moments of Benfica’s thrilling victory over Real Madrid in the locker room and experienced anxiety when goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin advanced forward before netting the pivotal fourth goal.
A late equalizer for Real Madrid in Lisbon would have resulted in a 3-3 draw, causing City to drop out of the Champions League’s top eight.
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Instead, with the score at 3-2, Benfica manager Jose Mourinho instructed Trubin to enter the penalty area in the 98th minute, and the Ukrainian goalkeeper headed in a fourth goal to secure a 4-2 victory that guaranteed their advancement in the playoffs on goal difference.
This outcome ensured City concluded the group stage in eighth place and will avoid a two-legged playoff in February.
As players and staff witnessed the unfolding drama, Guardiola acknowledged his concern when Benfica left their goal unguarded to pursue another goal.
“We were all there, so we didn’t realize Benfica needed a goal to qualify, so when the goalkeeper went up, we thought, ‘why are you going?’ because Madrid could equalize and we would be out,” Guardiola stated.
“But it was a clever strategy by Jose to score the fourth goal, right!”
When asked if he would be sending a thank you message to his former rival Mourinho, Guardiola responded: “Yeah, of course.”
It was a favorable evening for Guardiola, who witnessed his team perform effectively and secure a 2-0 win against Galatasaray, with goals from Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki.
The only downside was an injury to Jérémy Doku, who assisted on both goals before departing with a calf issue.
“The first half was better than the second half,” Guardiola remarked.
“I’m really pleased to finish in the top eight considering how the Champions League has evolved.
“When I began 16 or 17 years ago, the Champions League was a different kind of competition. Nowadays, every team is extremely challenging.
“I’m very glad we don’t have to participate in the playoff stage and hopefully we can arrive in March [for the last 16] at our best.”
