Pep Guardiola spoke of “one of the best players he has ever seen”, the media raved about the praise: Bernardo Silva had a breathtaking evening against Real Madrid.
After the final whistle at the Etihad Stadum on Wednesday evening, Pep Guardiola knew exactly who he had to thank in particular: the Spaniard walked up to Bernardo Silva with measured steps and hugged the Portuguese tightly to the chest.
“He’s one of the best players I’ve seen in my life,” the Catalan later told the press when asked about the key players and Silva in particular.
Haaland fails, Silva scores
City had dominated the game against the Spanish title holder from the first minute, playing Real against the wall at times. What was initially missing was the yield. Erling Haaland in particular threatened to despair after just 20 minutes of sensationally parrying Thibaut Courtois in the Real box. The Belgian from Haaland had defused a left-footed shot and two headers from close range. City threatened to die in beauty.
But then came Bernardo Silva. City’s right winger, whose job it was to put pressure on the opposing defense with his elegant dribbles, had secretly sneaked into the 16 and was served by Kevin de Bruyne with a perfect pass in depth. Silva calmly took the ball and hammered it past Courtois into the near corner. It was 1-0, the ban was broken.
Tough with the right hand, soulful with the head
A little later, the 28-year-old struck again and again proved his brilliant overview and calmness in front of goal. After a blocked shot by Ilkay Gündogan, he was spot on 13 meters in front of the goal and hit the fluttering ball with his forehead in the right corner. With the 2-0, Real’s resistance was basically broken.
“Bernardo Silva is always there in these games, where it matters most,” Guardiola said of his praise for Silva. As usual, he remained modest in his reaction after the game: “It’s a nice evening for us,” said the 28-year-old: “We knew it would be difficult to beat this Real Madrid team 4-0 at home , was wonderful.”
“What a wonderful evening”
Meanwhile, Silva’s teammates were just relaxed and grateful. Captain Ilkay Gundogan thanked Manchester City supporters. “What a wonderful evening. So proud of this team. Incredible support from the fans – thank you very much,” wrote the international after the 4-0 (2-0) success on Twitter.
Jack Grealish was overjoyed. “I was really energized after last week. A week later I’m here and we win 4-0. It’s so nice to experience this moment now,” said the England international, who followed up: “Not many teams can do something like that against Real.”
“It’s going to be hard”
Match winner Bernardo Silva aimed directly at winning the title. “It will be difficult but we will try everything,” said the Portuguese on BT Sports. The “Sun” rated the City appearance as “Four-Midable”. Whatever the outcome of the final, it could be Silva’s last game in City’s dress. It’s no secret that Paris St. Germain are keen to sign the dribbler.
Real Madrid’s Luka Modric (l.) prevails against Bernardo Silva (r.) from Manchester City.
Paris was “on” Silva last summer, a commitment fell through at the time because Neymar had not been taken off the payroll. Now the French are said to have put out feelers again.
“Inter not the best gift”
First of all, Silva and colleagues will face Inter Milan on June 10 in Istanbul – Manchester will start the game as favorites. “I’ve seen their games, they look very strong and organized defensively,” said Silva. Inter had earned their ticket to the final with two wins (2-0, 1-0) against local rivals AC Milan.
Pep Guardiola was also looking ahead. His first assessment: “To be honest, a final against an Italian team is not the best gift. They are difficult to beat. But we have time to prepare mentally.”
Coronation with City in sight
He won the Champions League twice with FC Barcelona and is now in the final for the second time with Manchester City. He has been coaching the club since 2016. The coronation on the highest European stage has so far failed to materialise.
For the British tabloid “The Sun”, the appearance in the football frenzy against Real was more than just a semi-final victory for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. “It was the night a seven-year reign culminated, when perfection flared and the impossible dream of a treble became a possibility.”