Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has insisted that his side must praise Real Madrid after their Champions League defeat.
City led 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu with five minutes left to play, only for Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo goals to condemn the Premier League champions to a 3-2 defeat in their Group D opener.
Toure, who was one of the star performers on the night, says that the English outfit must give credit to their opponents on the victory.
"I have to admit that Madrid are a great team and they made this a very difficult game for us. We were winning the match with five minutes to go but they struck twice before the end to take the win," said Toure. "We were always aware that they could respond as they were playing at home in front of their own fans. It's not easy at all to come here and win.
"It was a spectacular game and we have to congratulate our opponents – they deserved the three points. Personally, to be named as Player Rater winner is an important prize especially with the likes of Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuaín and Karim Benzema on the pitch. I'm still quite down though as we lost the game.
"I think that we will continue to grow and learn after a night like this. It's important that we continue working hard because the games coming up for us in this competition are going to be very important."
City face Arsenal in their next match in the Premier League on Sunday.
Matt Cotton
