Pep Guardiola blames himself for record-breaking Man City collapse to Real Madrid | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admitted that he "can't find a solution" to his side's repeated failure to defend a lead after giving up two late goals in a dramatic Champions League loss at home to Real Madrid on Tuesday night.

Erling Haaland struck on either side of Kylian Mbappe's 60th-minute equaliser to twice fire City in front. The defending Premier League champions were 2-1 up at the Etihad with less than five minutes of normal time remaining before Brahim Diaz - a former City player - swept the visitors level. Jude Bellingham completed yet another Real comeback (and another City collapse) with a 92nd-minute winner.

This dramatic turnaround may have stung but was not a new sensation for Guardiola's side. City have lost five different matches which they have led across all competitions this season - the same tally which they recorded across the previous four campaigns combined.

Manchester City's players didn't react well to their late collapse / Crystal Pix/MB Media/GettyImages

As Guardiola fretted to Movistar post-game: "It's happened many times, if something happens many times it's because I can't find a solution.

"It's been the year that Madrid have been better, we had a good result in the last few minutes and we let it go. We got the penalty, but the game was pretty even, they had chances like never before here at the Etihad."

Madrid may have needed a stoppage-time tap-in from Bellingham to snatch victory, but, as Carlo Ancelotti pointed out: "At the end of the day the victory is deserved." The Spanish champions racked up a staggering 20 shots - the most any visiting team has ever recorded at the Etihad during Guardiola's eight-and-a-half-year tenure, per Opta.

"They were better with the ball, we were a bit anxious," Guardiola continued. "These are things that have happened to us many times during the year. We will try, it is hard mentally, we have tough games left and we will travel to Madrid, we will try to adjust to have a bit more play and get through."

City need to win by at least two clear goals - or get the better of Madrid in a penalty shootout after winning by a one-goal margin - in the second leg which will be held at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, 19 February.