Manchester City narrowly lost and missed out on the Champions League; Doku stated that playing with 10 men was a glorious defeat.

2026-03-18 03:35

In a key Champions League match, Manchester City, playing at home at the Etihad Stadium, suffered a heartbreaking 1-2 defeat to Real Madrid, ending their Champions League campaign this season.

After the match, Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku said that although he was disappointed with the elimination, the team fought hard despite playing with one less player for a long time and could leave the field with their heads held high.

The turning point of the match came in the 20th minute when Bernardo Silva not only conceded a penalty but was also shown a straight red card, putting Manchester City 0-1 down and down with 10 men.

Faced with adversity, Manchester City displayed remarkable resilience. In the 41st minute, Erling Haaland stepped up to help his team tenaciously equalize. However, in the final moments of the match, Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. scored the decisive winner, securing a 2-1 victory.

After the match, Doku highly praised the team's fighting spirit: "It's certainly disappointing not to win the game. But against a top team like Real Madrid, we still played at a high level despite being down to 10 men."

"Even with one less player, we were still able to cause our opponents a lot of trouble and create opportunities. Everyone's fighting spirit today is absolutely commendable."

At the same time, Doku expressed his gratitude to the Manchester City fans in the stands: "The fans were fantastic today! Whether we were down to ten men or in tough times, they were always there cheering us on. This support gave us tremendous motivation, and I must express my deepest gratitude to them."

Image source: Internet