A goal from Antoine Griezmann sent Atletico Madrid to the Champions League final for the second time in three seasons despite a 2-1 defeat at Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
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The win at the Allianz Arena was not enough for Bayern Munich to progress to the final as Atletico Madrid’s away goal was the deciding factor in the semi-final tie which ended 2-2 on aggregate.
However, Guardiola, who is to coach Manchester City next season, said the chance to win the double does not make up for the disappointment of another Champions League semi-final exit.
The hosts failed to capitalise on Xabi Alonso’s deflected free-kick in the first half and, though Robert Lewandowski restored Bayern’s lead on the night, it proved in vain.
The ESPN FC crew were not impressed with the Champions League second leg between Real Madrid and Manchester City.
“That is football. You can play better and still be eliminated”.
Awaiting the Merengues for the showdown in Milan on 28 May are great city rivals Atlético Madrid. If they had scored just one goal at the Bernabeu, they would have gained a huge advantage but over 90 minutes the team looked exhausted, depleted and uninspired.
Gabi drew the first save of the game out of Neuer from 25 yards, but Bayern dominated the first 45 minutes in both chances and possession.
Pellegrini avoided a question about how many players City needed to take the next step and reach a first Champions League final. “We played them two years ago which just shows the high quality of the Spanish Primera Division”.
The hallmark of Atletico’s recent success has been their strength in defence, with Diego Simeone’s side developing a reputation as one of the toughest teams in Europe to break down.
“I don’t think we saw a superior Madrid, we pressed them, but with the ball we lacked the creativity to do damage”.
Reflecting on the match, the Spaniard said that his side did everything possible to reach the finals and, therefore, he is quite satisfied with the performance.
Guardiola, who will be coaching Manchester City next season, said he viewed his time at Munich as a failure despite having so far won five trophies, including two German league titles.
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“I feel sorry for my players because they deserved the very best”.
