Pep Guardiola 'Sorry' for Cristiano Ronaldo Ahead of Champions League Draw
Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola has apologised for scuppering Cristiano Ronaldo’s hopes of a Lisbon showdown in the semi-finals of the Champions League, after the German champions knocked out Benfica on Wednesday night.
A 2-2 draw in the second leg at the Estadio da Luz saw Bayern through by a 3-2 aggregate scoreline. And after Ronaldo revealed to AS (h/t Football Espana) he’d like to go up against the Portuguese side in the last four, Guardiola had some words for the Real Madrid forward.
“I know that Ronaldo wanted Benfica in the semis," said Guardiola, per Joe Mewis of the Daily Mirror. "I'm sorry for him.”
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Ronaldo was the star of the show for Real as they progressed into the quarter-finals on Tuesday night, as he netted a tremendous hat-trick against Wolfsburg in a 3-0 win; Los Blancos had lost the first leg 2-0. And afterwards, he was asked about which team he’d like to face in the semi-finals.
“I’d like Benfica, a Portuguese team,” he said per the aforementioned source. “I’d love to play Benfica, in Lisbon.” Ronaldo assessed the merits of Atletico Madrid too, admitting they are “hard to score against.”
There were no words for Bayern, though, as they surged into the final four. Things were looking a little nervy for Guardiola’s men when Raul Jimenez levelled things up in the tie early on, but goals from Arturo Vidal and Thomas Muller settled the nerves of the Germans, who booked their place in another semi-final under the former Barcelona boss.
As the City Chief Twitter feed notes here, the iconic coach, who will take over at Manchester City next season, has a wonderful record in this competition:
Xabi Alonso, who has been a key man at Bayern under the guidance of Guardiola, has insisted the team is doubly motivated to succeed in the competition as they want to end their boss’ tenure with a flourish.
The midfielder told BT Sport (h/t Eurosport) the title would be “for Pep, for the club, for everyone, but we have one more step to go to get to the final.”
“Whoever we face, it's going to be tough,” he added. “We know that we are really close and we want to make it to the final.”
Indeed, it may be cliched to say so, but looking at the teams remaining, there are certainly no easy clashes left for Bayern. Atletico are in sensational form at the moment, while City have found a knack for the Champions League; going up against his next club is also something Guardiola would surely prefer to avoid.
Real and particularly Ronaldo have proven themselves to be difficult opponents for Bayern in the past, too. The Portuguese’s performance in the semi-finals against the Bavarians in the 2013-14 season was one to remember, as he was at the crux of a 4-0 win in the second leg of the tie:
Guardiola has done so many good things at Bayern since taking over. The style of football has enchanted those at the Allianz Arena, as have the developments made by key players in their game. And while he’s won two league titles and is on the brink of a third this term, a Champions League title would cap off the good work done.
Ronaldo and Real would be a formidable roadblock on the way to any potential triumph, though. Under Zinedine Zidane the team seems to be peaking at the opportune moment, and given the club’s longstanding synonymity with this illustrious competition, Los Blancos will feel confident of winning their 11th European Cup at the San Siro next month.
