Champions League: Man City's Guardiola lauds 'fantastic spectacle' after 7-goal thriller with Real Madrid

The exhilarating encounter was only the second Champions League semi-final to see both sides score three or more goals after Dynamo Kyiv against Bayern Munich in 1999.

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The Premier League and La Liga leaders met under the Etihad lights on Tuesday evening. As expected, the clash between the two giants in their Champions League semi-final first leg match was an astonishing encounter that has left the tie on a knife-edge. Manchester City's boss Pep Guardiola lauded the spectacular display of football his men displayed in their 4-3 win over Real Madrid, even if he was not completely satisfied with the scoreline.

The exhilarating encounter was only the second Champions League semi-final to see both sides score three or more goals after Dynamo Kyiv against Bayern Munich in 1999. The standard of football displayed in front of a packed Etihad was breathtaking, with the Sky Blues wildly sweeping forward at every opportunity, much to its Spanish manager's delight.

"For our fans all around the world and for Manchester City, we are so proud. What we have done with the ball and without the ball, creating chances and chances, I can't ask anything else. I say to the players to rest. Both teams want to attack and have the quality to play. The football was a fantastic spectacle. Congratulations to Carlo (Ancelotti) and his team as they are so good. At the same time, we saw ourselves that we can be at their level," Guardiola told BT Sport.

Two stunning goals, including a 'Panenka' penalty, from sensational Real Madrid star Karim Benzema on either side of a spectacular individual effort from Vinicius Jr, ensured the tie is still alive. The Frenchman took his tally to 41 goals this season in all competitions, making him only the fifth player to score more than 40 goals in a single campaign in Los Blancos' history.

Guardiola, however, felt that his team should have put themselves in a much stronger position ahead of next week's second leg, with the tie still wide open. City's four goals came from in-form Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva.

"The moments where they rise and come back into the game in the first half, I think we gave to them, as our build-up was so nervous. Normally we are so safe and so good. Unfortunately, we conceded goals, and we could not score more. We go to Madrid to try to win the game," the Spaniard concluded.