Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola described tonight’s dramatic 3-2 win away to Schalke in the Champions League as a great result.
Reigning Premier League champions City got off to an ideal start when Sergio Aguero put them ahead on 18 minutes, but former Spurs midfielder Nabil Bentaleb would strike twice from the penalty spot before half time, on yet another night when VAR caused plenty of controversy.
City looked to be headed for a first leg defeat in their last 16 fixture, when defender Nicolas Otamendi was shown a second yellow card on 68 minutes. However, former Schalke man Leroy Sane came off the bench to score a sublime free-kick, before Raheem Sterling latched on to a clearing kick from Ederson to finish smartly and seal the win for Guardiola’s side.
Speaking after the game Guardiola hailed his sides personality, but warned that the tie is far from over.
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“It was a great result. We gave them two penalties, we gave them a red card and in this competition that is not too good. We are still not ready to fight for the later stages. but the result is good.” Guardiola told BT Sport.
“We played good. But still we lost some easy balls which we are not allowed to do in this competition. Were they penalties? I think so, they are two penalties, I trust VAR. I have arguments sometimes but not this time. They are both penalties.
“We played with incredible personality. We gave two goals when they did absolutely nothing. It is not over, this competition is completely different.”
The return leg will be played at the Etihad on Tuesday 12th March.