It is the third time in four seasons City have been beaten in a knockout tie by Real but the first time Guardiola felt defeat was deserved.
City manager Guardiola said: “The plan was to extend the result that we brought from Manchester as long as possible but we conceded so early and with the injury to John (Stones) it was a little bit (more of) what has happened his season.
Pep Guardiola accepted Manchester City had been outplayed as their Champions League campaign came to a limp end with a 3-1 defeat at Kylian Mbappe-inspired Real Madrid.
Yet this time they were hardly in the contest as Real took charge with Mbappe’s opener on four minutes and the Frenchman ended all doubt with two more either side of the break.
It was City’s second injury blow of the night after top scorer Erling Haaland, still troubled by the knee problem sustained against Newcastle on Saturday, failed to even make the starting line-up.
