Manchester City's mental resilience, according to midfielder Rodri, was on display as they advanced to the Champions League semi-finals after a bruising battle with Atletico Madrid.
City held off a bombardment of pressure, ferocious provocation, and a hostile environment to earn a goalless draw at the Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday, advancing 1-0 on aggregate in a hard-fought quarter-final clash.
Atletico's emotions boiled over in the final minutes, with scuffles breaking out on the pitch and in the tunnel after the players had departed.
City may be forced to count the cost with Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, and Phil Foden all suffering bruises, but the Premier League leaders may take satisfaction in a tenacious display.
Rodri, a former Atletico Madrid player, said: 'I am very delighted because first and foremost, we played two fantastic games against a very tough opponent.'
'We battled it out till the end.' Of course, they have firearms in this stadium; I'm extremely familiar with them. They pushed till the bitter end, and we suffered for a few minutes, but that's to be expected.
'Sometimes (people) think we'll always play beautiful, but that's not the case. Other teams have talented players, and they use them against you. 'But we were good - we had an incredible competitive spirit, and we came out on top.'
'I believe we've come a long way in this regard in recent years.' We must continue to improve because events like these will occur in future games.
'We must have a strong mentality and work together, never giving up.' That's how it's done.'
City's reward for their win will be a return journey to Madrid in the semi-finals, where they will face Real Madrid in a quest to reach the final for the second year in a row.
However, their immediate emphasis will be on Saturday's FA Cup semi-final at Wembley against Liverpool.
After a thrilling 2-2 draw against their championship rivals in the Premier League last Saturday, they will face the Reds for the second time in six days. 'We expect another tough squad with a different style of play next,' Rodri said, 'but we'll consider it when we face them.' First and foremost, consider Liverpool.' It's a wacky calendar.
These two games have been against Atletico Madrid and Liverpool, respectively. You have to give it your all, and now we have Liverpool to contend with - too many difficult games at once, but that's life.' We need to clear our heads, regroup, and prepare for the next game in the best possible shape.' To preparation for the match, the city planned to fly directly from Madrid to London.
Their injured players were expected to be evaluated, with Pep Guardiola's next press conference on Friday likely to include an update on their status.
'What we are going through now is huge,' Rodri added. It instills confidence in us as we prepare for the next game, which is the most important factor.
'We need to rest since these games have been so taxing, but I am confident that on Saturday we will give it our all.'
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