Ally McCoist rips into Nico O’Reilly after what he did in Man City loss vs Real Madrid: ‘I’m sorry, it can’t happen’
Manchester City were dismantled by Real Madrid as they were beaten 3-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The Citizens travelled to the Bernabeu for the first leg of their last 16 tie, but quickly left with their tails between their legs, as their hosts turned in a totally dominant display.
Pep Guardiola’s men are facing a daunting three-goal deficit due to Federico Valverde’s first-half hat-trick, while Gianluigi Donnarumma also saved a Vinicius Junior penalty in the second period.
City welcome Real Madrid to the Etihad Stadium for the return leg next Tuesday, but it will take a monumental comeback on home turf after a night of dismal defensive errors.
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VISIT THE MATCH HUBAlly McCoist explodes at Nico O’Reilly error: ‘Come on…’
City’s evening quickly went downhill from the early stages of the contest, as Valverde broke away to net the opener with just 20 minutes on the clock.
City had made a steady start to the game, but they were undone by a routine ball over the top of their defence from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Left-back Nico O’Reilly was caught under the flight of the Belgian’s long kick upfield, and as a result, he was totally unaware that Valverde was lurking behind him to pounce on any errors.
The Uruguayan brought the ball down and raced away to round Donnarumma and score from an acute angle, while Ally McCoist was clear in his stance that the young defender was at fault for the goal.
“Come on, O’Reilly cannot get caught by that ball,” the former striker said during TNT Sports’ coverage of the game.
“All of a sudden, it’s in the back of the net. I’m sorry, it cannot happen.”
O’Reilly at threat as Man City eye new left-back deal
Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown recently told Football Insider that Man City are trying to sign Destiny Udogie from Tottenham ahead of the upcoming summer window.
The Italian has been consistently linked with a move away from North London in recent windows, and Brown insists that City have held internal conversations over the specifics of a potential move for him.
He added that he expects Udogie to be among a number of options that City are considering at the moment, as they prepare to go in search of another left-back option.
That looks set to bring bad news for O’Reilly as a result, with Rayan Ait-Nouri only joining the club last summer, the former’s position in the squad could be about to come under threat.
Errors like the one he made on Wednesday night will not help his cause, given that he didn’t look up to the level of the game in Madrid.
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