Real Madrid were better than us, says Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo

Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo acknowledged the strength of Real Madrid while expressing hope for a turnaround in the second leg of their Champions League clash.

The Premier League side fell 3-0 to the Spanish champions in Wednesday’s Round of 16 opener, with Federico Valverde’s first-half hat trick putting Madrid firmly in control.

Manchester City came close to preventing a wider margin after Gianluigi Donnarumma fouled Vinícius Júnior in the box, but the resulting penalty was missed.

Speaking after his Champions League debut, Semenyo said: "They are very good on transitions, and there were a couple of spaces in the middle of the park, and they exploited that.

"We just go back to the drawing board. I think the [defeat] brings us down to earth essentially.

"They are a good team. We just go back to the drawing board and do what we need to do, and hopefully, on Tuesday, we can change it," Semenyo added.

City will return to Premier League action against West Ham United before hosting Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium for the second leg on Tuesday, March 17.