Rodri salutes teammates' efforts in Real Madrid draw

Manchester City midfielder Rodrigo Hernandez has praised his teammates for their effort in clawing back a 1-0 goal deficit in the UEFA Champions League semifinal against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. 

The Spanish midfielder was speaking after Manchester City fought an excellent Real Madrid team and the vociferous Bernabeu crowd to earn a credible draw in the semifinal first leg with the second leg to come at the Etihad Stadium in just over a week. 

Manchester City dominated the opening half-hour of the game but conceded to a Vinicius Junior screamer that wrestled control back for Real Madrid. 

After the goal, the Cityzens struggled to cope with Real Madrid but still managed to find an equaliser through Kevin De Bruyne with just over 20 minutes left of the tie. 

Rodri spoke glowingly of the team after the game, saying, “It’s a lot of concentration required because when you lose the ball, you have to regain it. They have a lot of quality, they also want to play and they have fast players up front, but the effort of the lads was incredible.” 

Rodri was also full of praise for goalscorer De Bruyne who was clutch for Manchester City at a desperate hour to secure a draw against Real Madrid. 

When asked about De Bruyne, Rodri said, “He has been a massive player for us always, he’s been great when we most needed. With that goal, he gave us the confidence to keep pushing.” 

De Bruyne has struggled with some niggling injuries lately and Rordri and the rest of the Manchester City team will be hoping that they can get him fully fit for the return leg in one week.