Silva sparkles as Man City deliver on defining night for Guardiola

AFP, Manchester  :
Bernardo Silva was a fitting catalyst for Manchester City’s majestic march into the Champions League final as one of Pep Guardiola’s trusted lieutenants stole the spotlight on a defining night for his manager.

Prior to City’s 4-0 rout of Real Madrid in Wednesday’s semi-final second leg, the tie was billed as the stage on which Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne would underline their immense star power.

Haaland’s record-breaking goal spree and De Bruyne’s peerless passing have fuelled City’s surge towards a remarkable treble in recent weeks.
But it was the understated Silva who stole the spotlight on a cathartic evening for a club desperate to rewrite their tortured Champions League history.

The Portugal midfielder bagged two clinical goals and produced a sublime individual performance as City vanquished the Champions League holders with a 4-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium.

Just the third player to score two goals in a Champions League semi-final against Real after Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski, Silva said: “It is a beautiful night for us. We knew it would be tough but to beat this Real Madrid team 4-0 at home was wonderful.”

Referring to his header that put City two goals up, Silva added: “I am small but good with my head!”

Silva’s masterclass ensured City avenged a heartbreaking loss to Real in last year’s Champions League semi-finals, when the Spaniards scored twice in the final moments of the second leg before winning in extra-time.