Manchester City was knocked out of the Champions League after losing 3-1 to Real Madrid on Wednesday night. Pep Guardiola admitted that Madrid’s early goal made things harder for his team.

Real Madrid came into the match with a 3-2 advantage from the first leg. Just five minutes into the game, Kylian Mbappe scored by lifting the ball over City’s goalkeeper, Ederson.

He later scored two more goals, completing a hat-trick. Manchester City’s Nico Gonzalez managed to score one goal, but it was not enough. Madrid won the match with a 6-3 score on aggregate and moved on to the last 16.

Speaking to TNT Sports, Guardiola acknowledged Madrid’s dominance. He said, “After we conceded the goal early, we didn’t defend well. It became more difficult as the game went on.”

The City manager admitted that his team did not perform well in the Champions League this season. He congratulated Real Madrid, saying, “They deserved to go through, and we have to accept it. Now, we focus on the Premier League and prepare for next season.”

Guardiola also recognized Madrid as strong contenders for the Champions League title but mentioned that other teams are also in the race.