Joe Hart plays brilliantly to help Man City hold Real

Defender Bacary Sagna praised goalkeeper Joe Hart's excellent save in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final.

Hart used his body to block the ball. Photo: Reuters

The save came in the 83rd minute, with Real Madrid defender Pepe having time and space to volley from just three metres out. With the dangerous shot out of reach, goalkeeper Joe Hart positioned himself well and used his stomach to block the ball, causing it to bounce out.

If Pepe's shot had gone in, Man City could have lost 0-1. Therefore, the hope of reaching the final could have been greatly reduced because Real played the second leg at home.

"We were lucky to have Hart in a big game and he gave the team another chance," full-back Sagna praised his team-mate.

In the first leg of the semi-final, Real's best player, Cristiano Ronaldo, could not play. While experts assessed that Man City missed a chance to win, Sagna said that the draw was a good result.

"We knew it would be a difficult match, regardless of whether Ronaldo played or not. Without him, Real still have many other quality players. We tried to score but couldn't. When you don't score, it's best not to lose. We did that. We played solidly from start to finish," Sagna commented.

According to VNE