After his 10-man Manchester City team earned a 0-0 draw against FC Copenhagen on Tuesday to advance to the round of 16, Pep Guardiola acknowledged his team was “very exhausted.”
Rodri’s goal for Guardiola’s team was controversially overturned by VAR before Sergio Gomez was expelled from the Parken Stadium for a professional foul.
Riyad Mahrez, a forward for City, also missed a penalty before Gomez left the game early in the first half.
The Premier League champions were without a goal for the first time in 24 games in all competitions as Erling Haaland was rested on the bench ahead of Sunday’s trip to Liverpool.
After an hour of playing with 10 men, City had to be content with escaping defeat.Just hours later, Guardiola’s team earned their reward as they qualified for the knockout rounds with two games remaining thanks to Borussia Dortmund’s 1-1 draw against Sevilla in the other Group G match.
“It’s hard to play for an hour like that. The athletes gave everything they had “stated Guardiola.
“We’ll consider that since it’s a valid point. I’m overjoyed. We have two days to get ready for Liverpool after we regenerate tomorrow.”
Mahrez missed the penalty kick, not for the first time while wearing a City jersey, as Kamil Grabara dove to his right to make a fantastic stop.
Surprisingly, VAR would again step in after 30 minutes when City left-back Gomez was fouled by Copenhagen midfielder Hakon Haraldsson after being caught on the wrong side of the player.
Referee Artur Dias walked to the pitchside monitor to look for a foul, but after several seconds passed without one being called, he came back to display Gomez the red card.
Since Arsenal’s match against Bayern Munich in 2014, City was the first team to miss a penalty and have a player sent off in the first half of a Champions League match.