Man City fans blamed for Bernardo Silva penalty delay as '40 second' wait causes costly Champions League jitters

Manchester City fans have been criticised for causing Bernardo Silva to miss a crucial penalty in the shootout against Real Madrid.

The supporters made the midfielder wait for 40 seconds before he could take his shot, which he subsequently missed. The Champions League holders were eliminated at the quarter-final stage on their own turf by Carlo Ancelotti's side on penalties after the two-legged tie finished 4-4 after extra-time in the second leg. City failed to convert twice from the spot with Mateo Kovacic the other to miss.

The EPL outfit started the penalty shootout on a high note as Julian Alvarez netted the first spot kick, followed by Ederson blocking Luka Modric's attempt, which increased the noise levels inside the Etihad. However, when it was Bernardo's turn, he was left standing without a ball, which was being held by the crowd. The referee signalled for another ball before one was finally thrown onto the pitch. Meanwhile, Bernardo was forced to stand on the penalty spot until his disastrous penalty was saved by Andriy Lunin.

The Portuguese midfielder chose to aim his shot straight down the middle, but the Madrid goalkeeper remained calm and stayed in the centre, reports the Mirror. Kovacic's subsequent miss proved to be pivotal as Los Blancos executed four flawless penalties following their initial miss. Antonio Rudiger eventually scored the winning penalty, securing the Spanish side a semi-final clash with Harry Kane and Bayern Munich.

Reflecting on the match, former City star Joleon Lescott highlighted the impact of the delay Silva faced before taking his penalty. He told TNT Sports: "That would have just took him out of sync and out of his rhythm. You can practice the routine, the technique, the walk up potentially, this is something you don't prepare for, the ball being in the crowd."

Rio Ferdinand chimed in with a pointed observation: "40 seconds by the way Joleon." Lescott then elaborated: "That is a long time. It may not seem that long but it's a very long time when you are waiting there and you are thinking, now do I change position? Now do I change where I go? And all of a sudden, it's a soft penalty." Ferdinand expressed his disappointment, adding: "It's a shame though as well, because it is the home fans that are delaying that penalty kick which is a shame."

Despite an early setback from Rodrygo's goal, City controlled much of the game. Kevin De Bruyne's equaliser at 77 minutes rewarded their efforts, yet the winning goal eluded Pep Guardiola's squad. Guardiola reflected on the match without regret, stating: "I absolutely don't have any regrets we did everything offensively and defensively. Football is about scoring goals and they did it a little bit better than us from the penalty spot."