In the Champions League quarter-final match against Real Madrid, Manchester City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, shared that Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne had requested to be substituted.
The second leg at the Etihad Stadium concluded in a 1-1 draw, following a 3-3 result in the first leg.
With no goals scored in extra time, the winner was determined through a penalty shoot-out.
City’s hopes were shattered as Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic missed their penalties, resulting in their elimination from the tournament.
Before the penalty shoot-out, there were requests from several City players to be substituted.
“Manu [Akanji], Erling [Haaland], and Kevin [De Bruyne] approached me to be substituted as they were unable to continue,” Guardiola disclosed to the media post-match.