Pep Guardiola said that beating Real Madrid twice is an important step in preparing Manchester City to win the Champions League.
But if beating the 13-times winners home and away has strengthened the Blues’ mentality and self-belief, the Blues boss says they quickly have to put it into perspective.
City will face Lyon in the quarter-final in Lisbon next Saturday, and if they are not ready for the team that knocked out Juventus tonight, they will suffer – and be right back at square one, says Guardiola.
Asked about the significance of following that win in the Bernabeu in February with a 2-1 victory at the Etihad, Guardiola said: “Of course, it's important. We beat them twice. Never lost in two knockout games.
“You can see with personality when they play, they are good. We are here to try to win the Champions League. It’s just one step. If we think that is enough, it shows we are a small team.”
City had to dig deep at times, especially after Karim Benzema levelled Raheem Sterling’s early opener.
But the Blues came out strong in the second half, never stopped working, and secured victory through Gabriel Jesus.
“When you play Real Madrid, you realise how good they are," Guardiola added. "We scored two goals from mistakes from them. It's not easy. We tried to convince them to attack. We are in the quarter finals.”
