The Croatian’s first goal for the Club completed a remarkable second half turnaround, building on Phil Foden’s stunning strike to hand Pep Guardiola’s men the advantage.
Federico Valverde’s clinical volley ultimately meant the two sides had to settle for a share of the spoils at the Santiago Bernabeu, meaning the tie remains finely poised ahead of next Wednesday’s second leg.
And while Gvardiol was disappointed the team couldn’t hold on for the win, City’s second half performance was a particular source of pride for the defender.
CITY+ | SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
He said: “Against this team at the Bernabeu, maybe if you ask me, I’m disappointed with the last goal that we conceded.
“But it is what it is, it’s football and we should be happy with this result, because there’s a second leg at home.
“We said [at half-time] that there are still 45 minutes to play, one more game at home, and that we should be focused on how we play and not lose our minds.
“That’s what we did. We played a really good game tonight.”
Hear Josko’s post-match thoughts in full via the video above…
