Kai Havertz’s solitary strike just before the break was enough to earn Chelsea the win in Porto and consign us to a heartbreaking defeat in our first European final in 51 years.
City battled until the very end in search of the equaliser but, despite creating some promising openings, the route back into the game proved elusive.
Nonetheless, Guardiola was proud with how the team applied ourselves in our inaugural appearance in the final of Europe’s elite competition.
“It was a tight game and I think, being the first time in the Champions League (final), we played a really good final,” the City boss reflected.
“We showed courage, especially in the second half.
“It’s not easy to play this competition for all of us, it’s our first time (in the final) but we did everything.
“I just want to congratulate the players for an exceptional season and the game they played today.”
A disappointing night was compounded by a premature end to proceedings for Kevin De Bruyne.
The midfielder was forced off with a head injury just before the hour following a collision with Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger.
The Belgian was visibly distraught, but Guardiola is hopeful of a speedy recovery with this summer’s European Championships looming large.
However, the City boss admitted that he hadn’t had time to check on De Bruyne or gain a professional opinion from the Club’s medical team before the press conference got underway.
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“I don’t know how the pain in his face is, we will see what happened,” Guardiola revealed when asked about the midfielder’s injury.
“I haven’t seen him yet or spoken to the doctor.
“Hopefully it won’t be a big problem.”
