Real Madrid shut out Manchester City in their Champions League quarter-final triumph after secretly studying the tactics Arsenal used to stifle Pep Guardiola's side last month.
Los Blancos travelled to the Etihad knowing that a win on enemy territory would be enough to send them through to the semi-finals of the tournament after last week's first-leg finished 3-3 at the Bernabeu.
Madrid frustrated their hosts for most of the night and were just minutes away from going through before Kevin De Bruyne scored to cancel out Rodrygo's first-half strike. Extra-time ensued before Carlo Ancelotti's side won a tense penalty shootout 4-3 to advance.
In the aftermath of their victory, Spanish outlet Marca has shared some insight behind Real's imperious defensive display. The publication claims that Davide Ancelotti, assistant coach and son of Carlo, was responsible for providing pre-match analysis of City, which included their recent 0-0 draw against Arsenal. Los Blancos then replicated Mikel Arteta's tactics as part of the game plan which was then drawn up to topple City.
Defeat means that a second consecutive treble is now beyond Manchester City, who could yet retain both the Premier League title and the FA Cup in the coming weeks.
Rather than expressing disappointment after the final whistle, Guardiola insisted he had no regrets and instead congratulated Manchester City's opponents for making it through to the final four while also commending their resolute defending.
The Spaniard told reporters: “I would have preferred to win, but congratulations to Real Madrid, they defended so deep with incredible solidarity, and we did everything.
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“I don’t have any regrets about what we have done. Always we try to create more chances and concede less because we believe that helps you to win and we did everything. We played exceptionally in all departments, and unfortunately, we could not win.”
When he was pressed about Real's defensive approach, Guardiola added: “I don’t judge. We’ve found that type of opponent in the past. Some teams are more open, some play a lower block. They know it’s a difficult ground to come to and they’ve tried. We really pushed them, particularly in the second half.
“We were on the edge of the box and had lots of shots from outside the area, but we weren’t able to achieve it. We did everything we could but in the end Madrid go through and we don’t.”
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