Phil Foden, who scored a crucial goal for Manchester City in their 3-3 draw against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final, expressed his satisfaction with the outcome, considering it a “fantastic result” for the defending champions.
The match was held at the Santiago Bernabeu, showcasing a clash between two European football powerhouses in an iconic setting. Both teams exhibited high-quality play, resulting in a thrilling and high-scoring encounter.
Despite City initially dominating and taking an early lead, Real Madrid fought back twice from lacking behind to level the game at 3-3.
On the City’s opener the midfielder reflected that “I don’t think it changed the game plan but I believe that sometimes you can score too early,”
Foden after the game said that, “They responded really well and we had to just settle again and play our football. This team’s come a long way now. When we go down we don’t put our heads down and believe in our ability,” Foden after the game, from the club’s official website.
Foden acknowledged that scoring too early didn’t alter their game plan but highlighted the resilience of City’s team in not letting setbacks affect their belief in their abilities. City faced a halftime disadvantage of 2-1 but staged a comeback, with Foden and Josko Gvardiol scoring impressive goals to put City ahead at 2-1.
“We know we can always come back from behind. It’s a great team to be a part of. With the possession we had they got a bit more tired, there was more space for me to come inside and find the pockets,” Foden stated.
Foden emphasized the team’s confidence in their ability to bounce back from behind, attributing their success to maintaining possession and creating fatigue in the opposition, which created space for their attacks.
“As the time went on the game seemed to open up a little bit more and I thought we grew into the game more, especially in the second half. We had a couple of chances and I’m just happy to make the most of one of mine. We can’t dwell on the result, it’s a fantastic result to come here and get a draw,” Foden mentioned.
Looking ahead to the second leg on April 18 at the Etihad Stadium, Foden emphasized the importance of not dwelling on the draw but rather seeing it as a positive result, considering the tough challenge of facing Real Madrid away from home.