Having won 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium in the first leg, Pep Guardiola’s men claimed a goalless draw in a hard-fought and feisty encounter at the Wanda Metropolitano to set up a last four tie with Atleti’s city rivals Real.
In a physical contest, City were forced to dig deep in the second half, defending resolutely against wave after wave of attack as the hosts pushed to level the tie on aggregate.
In front of a hostile home crowd, Guardiola’s side displayed remarkable character and Morrison believes the manner of the performance will only strengthen the togetherness within the squad.
“An incredible performance and every one of them stood up to a man,” said our former captain on Matchday Live.
“They got the job done and they are heroes in many ways.
“Atletico dominated the second half, but the boys will be so proud in there and a togetherness that comes from adversity.
“When you come through something like that there’s a strength that builds, and it’ll hold us in good stead going forward.
“It’s about getting through those kinds of games, the lads will look back at the end of the season and see that as one of the toughest games, that had to go to the depths tonight.
“The boys were magnificent coming through that adversity.”
This City side have earned plenty of plaudits under Guardiola and have been widely praised for our style of play and commitment to attacking football.
In the Spanish capital we showed the other side of our game, putting bodies on the line to preserve our lead, with the excellent John Stones’ crucial block on Cunha exemplifying that our attacking prowess is matched by our defensive desire
And, for Paul Dickov, who joined Morrison in the Matchday Live studio, the goalless draw was something to celebrate just as much as a free-scoring victory.
“It was a magnificent performance,” he added.
“How many times do we sit here and talk about the brilliance of De Bruyne, Foden, Sterling, all the wonderful players we’ve got, but defensively we stood up when under pressure.
“The experience of the last few Champions League campaigns showed tonight, there was no way they were going to get beaten.
“The mentality they had not to let them score, the calmness as well in those last ten minutes, I absolutely loved that performance as much as I’d have done if it ended 4-0.”
