Pep Guardiola apologises to Cristiano Ronaldo for ending Benfica run

 
Pep Guardiola apologises to Cristiano Ronaldo for ending Benfica run

Pep Guardiola said he feels sorry for Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo after guiding Bayern Munich into the Champions League semifinals on Wednesday.
Ronaldo scored a hat trick on Tuesday night to help overturn the 2-0 first leg deficit against Wolfsburg, to take Zinedine Zidane's team into the semifinals.
Bayern booked a spot in the final four with a 3-2 aggregate win over Benfica, despite being given a run for their money in the second leg in Lisbon, where the Portuguese giants held them to a 2-2 draw.
Guardiola's team will now await their semifinal opponents, with the draw to be held on April 15.
Manchester City and Atletico Madrid are the other two semifinalists, but the Spanish tactician wasted little time in firing the first salvo, by claiming that Ronaldo's ideal scenario of facing Benfica has now been crushed.
"I know Cristiano Ronaldo wanted Benfica in the semifinals. I am sorry for him," Guardiola said according to the Mirror.
He went on to confirm that Bayern have no preferred opponents in the final four, and were ready to go up against any team for that matter.
"It's normal that Ronaldo would have wanted to play Benfica as he is Portuguese. Manchester City are a possibility, so are Real [Madrid] and Atletico." he added.
"We are happy to be here and will play anyone."
The first legs of the semifinals will be held on April 26 and 27 before the return legs are played on May 3 and 4.