09 May 2023 , 21:52
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Pep Guardiola hailed Kevin De Bruyne for the stunning strike that set up a “final” showdown with Real Madrid next week.
De Bruyne produced a majestic strike in the 67th minute at the Bernabeu to cancel out Vinicius Jr's equally stunning first-half effort and rescue a draw for Manchester City.
City boss Guardiola paid tribute to De Bruyne for dragging City back into the tie and said it is set up perfectly for an epic encounter at the Etihad Stadium a week on Wednesday.
“Kevin knows how important he is for us,” said Guardiola. “He made an incredible performance for many reasons and I'm happy for him. In this type of game, in this type of competition - semi-finals and finals - you need your best players to perform. Everyone was really good.
“It's still open and now we go to Manchester. It will be a final for our people and we're looking forward to it.”
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Rodri also hailed De Bruyne and said: "He's a massive player for us. He has always been great and he helped us in the moment we most needed it.
“We were suffering a bit because they were keeping the ball and with the goal he gave us the confidence to keep pushing. It's a good result for us. We knew no matter what happened here it would not be the end.
Kevin De Bruyne rescued a draw for Manchester City (Getty Images)"At home we will need the people to support us."
Real boss Carlo Ancelotti was furious De Bruyne's goal was allowed to stand, claiming the ball went out of play in the build-up to it. The ball was out of play,” said Ancelotti. “I don't understand why they didn't use VAR.
“We controlled the game well and could easily have won. After scoring, we played well.”