Jeremy Doku insists Manchester City still believe they can turn the tie around despite suffering a 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League knockout clash.
City endured a difficult night in Spain as Madrid seized control of the contest midway through the game.
Although Doku caused early problems with his pace and direct attacking play, the hosts eventually found their rhythm and punished the visitors with ruthless efficiency.
Federico Valverde proved decisive for the Spanish giants, striking three goals within a devastating 22-minute spell that shifted the momentum firmly in Real Madrid’s favour.
Doku initially threatened to stretch Madrid’s defence down the flank, yet once the home side recognized the danger, they quickly tightened their marking to limit his influence and close down the spaces he had been exploiting.
“Against teams like Real Madrid you know that as soon as you lose the ball that they’re just waiting to play a counter attack and then they score,” Doku said.
“They scored three goals and then it’s difficult to come back because they played very defensively, but I feel like if we scored the first chances that we had it’s a different game.”
Despite the heavy first-leg deficit, the Belgian winger remains optimistic that the Cityzens can still fight back when the action switches to the second leg at Etihad Stadium.
“[Donnarumma’s save] helped us massively, we’re still confident.
“Obviously we have a game against West Ham before, but we trust our qualities and we know that at the Etihad it’s also a different game.
“We’ll need our fans to help us and if they can score three goals why can’t we?”
Before turning their focus back to the Champions League showdown, City will first shift their attention to a domestic challenge against West Ham United.
However, the squad remains confident that with their home support behind them, they can mount a dramatic comeback in the decisive second leg.
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