Judging only by the halftime score, Man City had not gotten a particularly good result.
A 2–1 lead had given Real Madrid a precious away goal.
If the score remained unchanged until halftime, Man City might have won the first leg, but the second leg would still be dangerous—especially with an away match at the Bernabéu, a hellish venue where the challenge would be enormous.
Fortunately, the match still had a second half.
After returning to the dressing room, the players were in fairly good spirits and still brimming with energy.
Clearly, this was the effect of Su Dong's second goal. Without it, Man City would have been held to a 1–1 draw by Real Madrid in the first half, and the players' moods would have been completely different.
After seeing the players' condition, Guardiola was basically satisfied with the team's morale. He did not say much more, merely pointing out some of the problems Man City had encountered in attack during the first half.
He insisted that Man City had to continue attacking in the second half and fight for another goal.
"Our three lines need to keep up the pressure on Real Madrid. We can't give them any chance to catch their breath. We have to seize the momentum and put them away, establish an advantage at home in the first leg, and take control of the second leg."
Knockout matches were all about targeted tactics. Whoever held the initiative had a greater chance of winning.
Man City itself favored a style centered on its own strengths. It rarely changed its tactical style according to the opponent, usually making only targeted adjustments to certain details.
"At the same time, our two flanks need to be more active. Our wing attacks were somewhat lacking in the first half."
Guardiola