Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola admitted it was a tough pill to swallow after his side fell victim to a miraculous comeback against Real Madrid.
City appeared all set to book their ticket to Paris for an all-English final against Premier League title rivals Liverpool when Riyad Mahrez gave them a 1-0 lead in the 73rd minute on Wednesday in Madrid, pulling them away 5-3 over the two legs.
Jack Grealish saw a shot blocked on the line and then another effort saved by Thibaut Courtois as City threatened to runaway with it, their place in a second straight Champions League finally seemingly secured.
But as Los Blancos threw numbers forward in desperation, they found a lifeline when Karim Benzema was able to find Rodrygo at the edge of the six-yard box, setting up a thrilling finish.
Incredibly, just 91 seconds later Rodrygo got on the end of another cross, flicked on by Marco Asensio, to head home and pull Madrid level on aggregate.
The Madrid forward nearly made it a hat-trick in the 93rd minute, forcing a save from Ederson to take things into extra-time, in which a Benzema penalty would send the Spanish giants, 13-time European champions, through at City's expense.
Speaking to BT Sport after the crushing result, Guardiola said it was a cruel feeling to come so close before ultimately falling short. Indeed, City did not face a single shot on target until Rodrygo netted Madrid's first in the 90th minute.
"Yeah, we were close. We were close – but in the end, we could not reach [the final]," he said.
"It's simple – in the first half, we didn't have game. We were not good enough, but we didn't suffer much.
"After we scored the goal we were better, we found our tempo, our game, and the players were comfortable on the pitch.
"The last 10 minutes they attacked and attacked, and you suffer, it didn't happen. In that moment you can say okay, they were 10-15 minutes completely attacking, we would not survive – this was not the case.
"They put a lot of players in the box – [Eder] Militao, with Rodrygo, with Vinicius Jr, with Benzema, with Asensio – all of them, and with crosses, they score two goals.
"We didn't suffer much – we didn't play our best – but these moments in finals, the players feel the pressure. We were close. Football is unpredictable, it's a game like this, and sometimes you have to accept it."
Guardiola acknowledged there were some heartbroken players after the result, but knows they will need to move on quickly and re-focus on the Premier League title race. With four games to go, City hold a one-point lead over quadruple-chasing Liverpool.
"Yes [the players are crushed), I mean, we were close to reaching the final of the Champions League," he added.
"We need some time to process that, then come back with our people at home for the last few games we have."
Guardiola has now suffered an exit at the semi-final stage of the Champions League on six separate occasions as a manager, tying him level with Jose Mourinho.
Slot: Guardiola contract is 'good news' for Premier League
Arne Slot believes it is "good news" for the Premier League that Pep Guardiola has signed a contract extension with Manchester City.
The Spaniard signed a two-year extension with the reigning champions and will remain in the dugout at the Etihad until 2027.
He has won 18 major trophies in his time at City, including six Premier League titles, and twice beat Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool to the top-flight crown by a single point.
Guardiola averages 2.35 points per game in the Premier League, the highest rate of any manager (20+ matches). Indeed, he is so far ahead of the next highest (Alex Ferguson's 2.16), he could lose his next 26 league games in a row and would still be top.
Slot is yet to face City since taking over from Klopp at the start of the season, with the rivals' first meeting of the season set for December 1.
"It's good news for City and for the league because everyone wants the best managers and the best players over here," Slot said when asked about Guardiola's new contract.
"He is definitely one of the best managers, maybe the best manager of the league.
"He's won four titles in a row, so it's fair to say he's maybe the best manager in the league.
"On the other hand, they have so many quality players that, if he would have made the choice to leave, I wouldn't have expected them to end up bottom of the league next season."
Other Premier League managers echoed Slot's sentiment, with Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, who inflicted a fourth consecutive defeat on City before the international break, saying it is the "best thing that can happen to the Premier League".
"He is one of the best coaches in the world," Hurzeler said. "With his ideas, he always brings something new to the football stage, and it is always a challenge to compete against him.
"He always adapts quickly, always has new ideas and he can always win the game. I'm very happy because we can learn from him and to compete with him is a big, big experience."
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe added: "He's contributed so much to English football. He's revolutionised how a lot of teams play.
"I think he's incredibly talented, and it's good for the English game that he's still here.
"He will continue to develop and evolve his style, and people will potentially continue to follow that. From the competition side, I think it keeps the Premier League as the best in the world."
Vlahovic out of Juventus clash with Milan
Dusan Vlahovic will miss Juventus' trip to Milan in Serie A this weekend and is also a doubt for the Champions League game at Aston Villa, head coach Thiago Motta has confirmed.
Vlahovic returned from the international break with a muscle problem in his left thigh, and the manager, after he confirmed the Serbian's absence for Saturday's game at San Siro, was asked about his chances of playing on Wednesday at Villa Park.
"I don't know. He definitely won't be there tomorrow. We hope to have him back as soon as possible," Motta told a press conference on Friday.
"Injuries are part of football. Now it's Vlahovic's turn, but we'll keep playing with the same principles, attacking and defending together."
Vlahovic is the latest of Motta's injury problems at Juventus. Argentine winger Nicolas Gonzalez missed the last six league games and is still unavailable, while Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik is a long-term absentee.
Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz will also miss the game with Milan and defender Juan Cabal recently suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, the same issue which will keep fellow defender Gleison Bremer out for the rest of the season.
"I'm really disappointed for Cabal because, like Bremer, he'll be out for a long time," Motta said.
"This is another reason to push ourselves, to commit that bit more so that these absences don't weigh too heavily."
Juventus go into the game as the only unbeaten side in Serie A but find themselves sixth in the standings in what is so far a very tight title race, with just two points separating Motta's side from leaders Napoli.
"It's very balanced and this is good for both us and the public," Motta said.
"We must all try to continue like this. We have to try to get as many positive results as possible."
Milan are one place behind Juve but six points off Motta's side.
Vlahovic out of Juventus clash with AC Milan
Dusan Vlahovic will miss Juventus' trip to AC Milan in Serie A this weekend and is also a doubt for the Champions League game at Aston Villa, head coach Thiago Motta has confirmed.
Vlahovic returned from the international break with a muscle problem in his left thigh, and the manager, after he confirmed the Serbian's absence for Saturday's game at San Siro, was asked about his chances of playing on Wednesday at Villa Park.
"I don't know. He definitely won't be there tomorrow. We hope to have him back as soon as possible," Motta told a press conference on Friday.
"Injuries are part of football. Now it's Vlahovic's turn, but we'll keep playing with the same principles, attacking and defending together."
Vlahovic is the latest of Motta's injury problems at Juventus. Argentine winger Nicolas Gonzalez missed the last six league games and is still unavailable, while Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik is a long-term absentee.
Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz will also miss the game with Milan and defender Juan Cabal recently suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, the same issue which will keep fellow defender Gleison Bremer out for the rest of the season.
"I'm really disappointed for Cabal because, like Bremer, he'll be out for a long time," Motta said.
"This is another reason to push ourselves, to commit that bit more so that these absences don't weigh too heavily."
Juventus go into the game as the only unbeaten side in Serie A, but find themselves sixth in the standings in what is so far a very tight title race, with just two points separating Motta's side from leaders Napoli.
"It's very balanced and this is good for both us and the public," Motta said.
"We must all try to continue like this. We have to try to get as many positive results as possible."
Milan are one place behind Juve but six points off Motta's side.
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