Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr claims banner mocking his Ballon d'Or snub inspired his match-winning performance against Man City

Vinicius Junior claimed a mocking banner by Manchester City supporters spurred him on as Real Madrid’s remarkable late comeback piled more misery on Pep Guardiola. City fans unveiled a giant tifo before Tuesday night’s dramatic 3-2 Champions League play-off first leg defeat, depicting Rodri collecting the Ballon d’Or award, with a message reading: ‘Stop crying your heart out.’. The words were aimed at Vinicius after Real infamously boycotted the event in protest at the Brazilian finishing second behind Rodri – but the stunt in the stands backfired spectacularly.

‘I saw the banner from Man City fans - and it motivated me even more,’ Vinicius said. ‘Whenever rival fans do things, it gives me more strength to play a great game.’. Ex-City academy graduate Brahim Diaz and Jude Bellingham struck in the final minutes to turn the tie on its head after Erling Haaland’s double. City are now major underdogs heading to the Bernabeu next week and face European elimination, with their manager insisting the Premier League champions will not be competitive for the remainder of the season if they do not eradicate late errors.

Man City held up a banner mocking Vinicius Jr after Rodri beat him to last year's Ballon d'Or. Vinicius Jr (left) went on to set up Jude Bellingham's late winner on Tuesday night. Vinicius Jr was named player of the match and admitted the banner spurred him on. John Stones revealed Guardiola’s message in a deflated dressing room as the manager implored them to start taking responsibility after another staggering late collapse.

‘It's a feeling of anger and frustration,’ Stones said. ‘The manager says we need to look at ourselves and take accountability. ‘We need to see games out better. The manager said we need to take accountability for what we do on the pitch. We need to step up when these bad moments happen.’. Tuesday night’s capitulation is the latest in a string of disasters this season – notably against Feyenoord, Manchester United and Brentford. Guardiola headed straight down the tunnel on full time and then publicly insisted that his entire staff need to take hold their hands up for the continued failings.

‘It belongs to all of us, not just the players,’ he said. ‘I don't have a problem to accept that it doesn't work like it did in the past. For me, it would be easy to blame a specific player but that is ridiculous and doesn't work. ‘The players want it - how they run, how they do it - but the truth is that we are not stable enough in those moments. Today is not an exception, it happened many times. Today is what it is, tomorrow you have to continue and have fresh legs and fresh minds.’.

City have now conceded eight goals in the final 16 minutes of their last five Champions League matches and Guardiola is struggling to find the answers as to why. ‘We talk about it but how?’ he said when asked how they stop the issues. ‘Many games at the end we give away. In that level it is so difficult. It is not the first time, it happens many times. ‘We have to know about the mistakes in those areas. It’s difficult to manage. It’s about reading what you have to do.

John Stones was left to rue City's late defensive lapses as they slipped to a disappointing loss. Pep Guardiola admitted the defeat was 'difficult to accept' after his side went in front twice. ‘I can’t be angry with my team. But when you are so close and let it slip out of your hands, it is difficult to accept. ‘I accept when the opponent is better but at the moment I'm not good enough to give composure to the team to manage these situations. It's the truth.’.

Bellingham believes Real played their best football of the season and Carlo Ancelotti suggested that his star-studded frontline bought into his game plan. ‘The season has really started now,’ Ancelotti said. ‘Sometimes we lack balance but today the team showed they can be balanced, there was a good dose of sacrifice. If we do that, the quality is there for all to see. This is the path, this is the way.’.