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Manchester City face a steep challenge in the Champions League after a 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid left the holders close to a last-16 exit, with Bernardo Silva admitting the mood inside the squad is “really dark” before the second leg at the Etihad Stadium on 17 March.

Federico Valverde struck a first-half hat-trick in Wednesday’s first leg, putting Real Madrid in full control of the tie and handing Pep Guardiola a joint-heaviest first-leg defeat in a Champions League knockout round, while Vinicius Junior also saw a penalty saved after a foul by Gianluigi Donnarumma.

“It is difficult to speak about it because I would need to watch it again. My feeling on the pitch was that we started the game well, the Portugal midfielder told TNT Sports. The environment we could not control, and I think my team let the emotions change the game. We felt comfortable and were finding the right spaces, but after conceding the first one we lost completely the control. We stopped controlling transitions and second balls. When you play against Real Madrid with the quality they have, you pay the price.”

Silva accepted that Real Madrid punished every mistake, saying City lost control once the first goal went in and struggled with transitions and second balls, while Real Madrid’s attacking quality exposed those weaknesses in a way that leaves Guardiola planning a major response in Manchester.

Guardiola shared some of Silva’s concerns, yet felt the performance did not match the margin of defeat, telling TNT Sports: “I had a feeling that we were better than the result said…but the result is here. We have one week and then we will see them at the Etihad, he told TNT Sports. Now we recover mentally and physically and go to West Ham. We will see. We will be with our supportersI’m pretty sure they will comeand in football, you never know. We will try.”

City now need at least three goals at the Etihad to force extra time, and more if Real Madrid score, but Guardiola stressed that home support could still shape the tie as City attempt to overturn a heavy first-leg deficit in Europe for the first time under the current manager.

Manchester City Champions League records and away struggles

Defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu continued a difficult run for City away from home in Europe, with six losses in 10 Champions League away games since the start of last season, while only Club Brugge, with seven, have suffered more defeats in that period across the competition.

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Guardiola’s side conceding three goals before half-time also marked just the fifth time a team coached by Guardiola has allowed three first-half goals in any competitive game, with four of those occasions coming with Manchester City and one during the coach’s spell at Bayern Munich.

“It is a tough stadium to play at. We are used to playing at these stadiums because playing at Anfield and St James Park is very tough, Silva continued. You need to go through these moments to become better, and today was just a learning game for the whole team.”

Manchester City Champions League hopes and Silva’s detailed verdict

“It is quite frustrating [we didn’t score], even though we believe it is still possible because in football a lot of things can happen, at half-time we were saying: ‘The situation is bad’. There were a lot of things that shouldnt have happened, but with one goal, you are in the tie. At 3-0, it makes it a bit more difficult. Now it feels really bad, now it feels really dark. Tomorrow is another day, and for sure, next week we will go to the game thinking we have a chance. Right now is the moment to reflect and see what we didnt do right. Then next week, when we are preparing, we will be hopeful we can do something.”

Silva’s comments underlined a mix of frustration and belief, with the midfielder stressing that one goal at the Bernabeu might have changed the outlook of the tie, yet also insisting the squad will analyse what went wrong before approaching the return leg with renewed hope.

Statistics from the game also highlighted a wider English setback in Europe, with Manchester City’s defeat following Chelsea’s 5-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain, marking the first day in European Cup or Champions League history when two English clubs lost by at least three goals.

City now turn attention briefly to facing West Ham United before preparing for Real Madrid’s visit on 17 March, knowing a clear and composed response at home is required to keep the Champions League defence alive after one of the heaviest setbacks of Guardiola’s reign in a knockout first leg.

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