Bernardo Silva has described Manchester City's Champions League hopes as 'really dark' after a 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. Federico Valverde scored a hat-trick for the hosts, while Vinicius Junior missed a penalty that could have made the scoreline even worse for Pep Guardiola's side.
The defeat came after City were held to a 2-2 draw by Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, allowing Arsenal to extend their lead at the top to seven points. Although City beat Newcastle 3-1 in the FA Cup fifth round, the loss to Madrid has raised concerns about their form heading into the crucial stage of the season.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, Silva said: 'I think my team let the emotions change the game. We felt comfortable and were finding the right spaces but after conceding the first one we lost complete control. We stopped controlling transitions and second balls. When you play against Real Madrid with the quality they have you pay the price.'
Silva added: 'It is a tough stadium to play at. We are used to playing at these stadiums because playing at Anfield and St James' Park is very tough. You need to go through these moments to become better and today was just a learning game for the whole team.'
Despite the heavy defeat, Silva insisted City still believe they can overturn the deficit in the second leg at the Etihad. 'It is quite frustrating [we didn't score], even though we believe it is still possible because in football a lot of things can happen. At half time we were saying, 'the situation is bad'. There were a lot of things that shouldn't have happened but with one goal you are in the tie.'
City return to domestic action on Saturday with a rearranged trip to West Ham before the crucial second leg against Madrid on Tuesday.
