Pep's men pile more pressure on Alonso

Manchester City came from behind to beat Real Madrid 2-1 on Wednesday in the Champions League, leaving Xabi Alonso's position as coach of the Spanish giant in grave danger.

Without injured superstar Kylian Mbappe, Madrid took the lead through Rodrygo, but a strike from Nico O'Reilly and an Erling Haaland penalty sent City in ahead at the break and, ultimately, secured Pep Guardiola's City the three points.

Spanish media reported in the lead-up to the game that a defeat would seal Alonso's fate as Madrid coach, although his team's performance was creditable, despite the eventual outcome at a frustrated Bernabeu stadium.

The record 15-time Champions League winner has now won just two of its last eight matches across all competitions, and faces a battle for a place in the top eight of the league phase.

Guardiola admitted that his side had been second best in the opening phases of the game.

However, he lauded the character that enabled City to recover from its sluggish start.

"In the first 25 minutes, until the goal from Nico, they were much better than us," he said.

"I will take the result, but I know we need to be better. I know that, in February and March, if we go through, the level required is higher than today.

"I have to be so grateful to the players. I'm happy," he added.

"I've been here many times in these last few years.

"We've fought many battles (at the Bernabeu), and we've been much better than today, but didn't manage to win. This is a reality."

Alonso was forced to leave his team's top scorer Mbappe on the bench, saying it would have been "a risk" to use him amid his current knee discomfort, instead choosing to start 21-year-old striker Gonzalo Garcia.

Madrid knocked City out of last season's Champions League playoff round in February, and Mbappe scored four of the goals in that 6-3 aggregate win.