Manchester City’s Champions League campaign ended at the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday after a 3-1 defeat to a vastly superior Real Madrid. 

Kylian Mbappe struck twice in the first half before completing his hat-trick in the second half as the European champions won the return leg of the play-off tie 3-1 to complete a 6-3 aggregate victory. 

“I said before that I am not here to become a failure. Rather, I want to play well here, mark an era, and make history at Real Madrid,” Mbappe told Movistar. 

Pep Guardiola however was full of praise for Real Madrid, acknowledging their tactical versatility and overall growth as a team.

“They are now dynamic and capable of sinking you. If you are too high, they throw long balls at you. I always had the feeling that I could get hold of them, but not this year. They have grown in many ways. They are always one of the favorites, of course, but other teams like Liverpool, Barcelona, PSG are also doing very well."

As the match concluded, Real Madrid fans at the Bernabéu mocked “Guardiola, stay!”—a moment that did not go unnoticed. Pep when asked about the point in the post-match media conference replied, “Yes, yes, yes. Yes, yes. I want to continue.”

Carlo Ancelotti's side will face either city rivals Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen, coached by former Real midfielder Xabi Alonso, in the last 16, for which the draw will made on Friday.