Phil Foden has warned Manchester City they must “take more chances” following their epic Champions League semi-final first leg against Real Madrid.
The England international was on target during a thrilling showdown at the Etihad Stadium, in which Pep Guardiola’s side established a narrow 4-3 advantage.
City travel to Madrid for next week’s second leg knowing they will progress to a second successive final if they maintain that slight edge, having lost 1-0 to Chelsea in last year’s showpiece.
The margin of victory could have been greater but for wasteful finishing. Indeed, the hosts registered 16 shots on goal, with only six hitting the target.
And Foden knows he and his team-mates must demonstrate more of a clinical edge on the big occasions.
“For the fans watching, it was obviously a great game of football,” he told BT Sport.
“We are playing a side that have won the Champions League many times and if we give the ball away, they are going to punish us.
“It is something we need to work on in the second leg. The tie is still on.
“It was a great game; end to end. We started really well and could have killed them off. In these games, we need to take more chances.”
Despite only holding a single-goal advantage, Guardiola was delighted with the performance of his side and is confident they can finish the job at Santiago Bernabeu.
“We played a fantastic game against an incredible team,” the head coach added.
“All around the world and for Manchester City, we are so proud. But it is about reaching the final and sometimes, football happens.
“We go to Madrid to try to win the game. Both teams want to attack and have the quality to play.
“Congratulations to Carlo and his team as they are so good. At the same time, we saw ourselves that we can be there.”