A gruelling, intensely physical goalless draw away at Atletico Madrid on Wednesday was enough to secure a 1-0 quarter-final aggregate success for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Our reward is an enticing semi-final against Real Madrid who, with 13 Champions League titles to their credit, are the most successful side in the competition’s illustrious history.
Rodri says it’s a prospect to be savoured.
And following on from our reaching the final last season, it’s one that further demonstrates City’s own consistency and growth on the European stage.
However, he says the more immediate prospect of Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final with Liverpool is now uppermost in the players’ minds.
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“It’s a giant step for us as a team and as a club being in the second semi-final in a row,” Rodri declared.
“We have a lot of games on our shoulders and obviously that also takes its toll
“It’s going to be a great semi-final. We are facing the kings of the Champions League.
“Before that, though, we need to rest and prepare for the FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool. It will be another huge challenge.
“We have a few games we need to focus on first before thinking about Real Madrid.”
The Spanish international knew better than most about the magnitude of the task facing City on Wednesday.
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He spent a season with Atletico prior to moving to the Etihad in the summer of 2019 and says a demanding, eventful night in the Spanish capital was no less than he anticipated.
But he believes the nature of the way City overcame the challenge Atletico presented also proved how the squad were growing and maturing in Europe.
“We knew we were coming to a very difficult challenge, for the opponent and the atmosphere at the stadium,” Rodri added.
“We faced the rival we were expecting, a very tough side to play against since the first minute,” Rodri reflected.
“It was a very difficult game because our margin was very short. We had to suffer in the second half and the team learnt how to suffer.
“That is also a sign of maturity and experience. We might not have been at our best version in the second half, but to be able to go through to a Champions League semi-final, you always need to suffer.
“The team has been outstanding and we are in the semi-finals for the second season in a row.
“I must congratulate the team because it has been because it has been performing amazingly lately, not just on Wednesday, with the tight run of fixtures and the great opponents in front of us such as Atletico and Liverpool.”
