DBasia.news – Manchester City has qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League and is currently focused on the Premier League. This was confirmed by Pep Guardiola.
Man City drew 1-1 against Shakhtar Donetsk in the fifth Champions League group C match at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday (11/27) Western Indonesian Time, through goals by Ilkay Gundogan (56′) and Manor Solomon (69′). A draw is enough for Man City.
David Silva et al qualified for the knockout stages with 11 points, followed by Donetsk (six points), Dinamo Zagreb (five points), and Atalanta (four points). Man City qualify for the knockout phase for the seventh time in a row.
No doubt Man City can now focus on playing in the Premier League to try to catch Liverpool, the top of the standings because the two teams are currently nine points adrift.
“We qualified and we played well in the second half. The second half was better than the first round. We conceded a few goals from the counter-attack,” Guardiola said at BT Sport.
“In the first half we were in too much of a hurry in our game and gave the ball possession, but in the second half we were calmer and more developed.”
“I have played a lot against Shakhtar Donetsk and they always have quality players. In general, we created opportunities, but a draw was enough in the end.”
“Now we have gone through one competition and our focus is now the Premier League until we approach tournament matches. The target is to qualify and we have done it,” said Guardiola.
Whoever against Man City in the knockout phase later, Guardiola does not want to think about it at this time because his priority is the Premier League.
“This process, our current position and our decade (10 years ago) … seven years lucky, meaning you have to qualify seven times and be there. We will see the conditions later in the fall phase, but now it’s time to focus on the Premier League,” explained Guardiola.