What next for Pep Guardiola after a devastating defeat in the Champions League Semi-Final

Pep Guardiola admitted that the team conceded under pressure and gave the last two goals giving Madrid an opportunity for extra time. "We need time now, one or two days, but we'll rise, come up, and do it with our people," said Guardiola.

Until the 90th minute, Man City was leading 5-3 and was about to head to the finals when City suddenly lost their cool under pressure and lost two goals to Madrid. Rodrygo scored two goals in the end, taking advantage of City losing its focus. City's mistake awarded Madrid extra time that helped Karim Benzema make a comeback winning the semi-final. Fans were left disappointed because of the brutal defeat. Guardiola said, "I've had defeats that were so tough, Barcelona against Chelsea when both games were exceptional, and we could not reach the final, and yes, it's tough for us, we cannot deny it."

On being asked about the loss, Guardiola said that the team wasn't outstanding in the first half; however, by the 90th minute, the game was almost in City's favour. He further said that City was so close to the finals; however, the pressure of being this close overpowered the team, which is normal. He admitted that the team didn't play the best, but it's not like the City didn't play and only suffered. While commenting on the tragic loss, Jonathan Woodgate told BBC Radio Live, "It is such a distressing loss. What ramifications does that have on the league? They could blow up after this."

While expressing his disappointment in the defeat, Mike May, a BBC sports journalist, said that this year's semi-final loss was more painful than last year's final defeat against Chelsea. Last year, City was unprepared and unconvincing. This year, City lost the game with a small margin while it was extremely close to qualifying for the final. He further explained how the team lost in the last two minutes, making it extremely hard for the players to gather themselves psychologically. 

Now that City has lost the opportunity to head to the Champions League finals; the team must focus on the Premier League title. Guardiola said that the group is a little disheartened right now, but they don't have much time to continue to be sad about the defeat. The team will have to rise again and play against Liverpool. The City has four more games to play to win the Premier League title and is one point ahead of Liverpool. Yesterday's defeat was a tough defeat for Guardiola, for he hasn't won a single champions league after the 2010-11 season. Now, he must be focused on winning the Premier League to revive the respect City has lost by losing yesterday's semi-finals.