Rodri praised the impact of Kevin De Bruyne after his goal earned Manchester City a 1-1 draw with Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie.

De Bruyne struck a stunning equaliser as Manchester City came from behind to claimed a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu,

The Belgian cancelled out an equally brilliant first-half effort from Vinicius Junior when he fired past international team-mate Thibaut Courtois from the edge of the area after 67 minutes.

Treble-chasing City had dominated a lot of the early play but holders Real drew first blood in a tense battle when Vinicius lashed home from 25 yards after 36 minutes.

The result leaves the tie delicately poised ahead of next week's return clash at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri told BT Sport afterwards: "It's always tough when you come here. Sometimes it's difficult against this team because they have a lot of quality.

"I think the first 30 to 35 minutes we controlled the game and the first chance they had they scored an incredible goal, but with our philosophy we kept playing even though it was difficult.

"They defend in a way that is difficult to get in and the key was shooting from the area. I tried and then Kevin found the goal. I think in the last minutes we tried a little bit to keep the ball."

Asked about the impact of De Bruyne, Rodri added: "He's a massive player for us, always he's been great and he helped us in the moment we most needed it.

"We were suffering a bit in the second half because they were keeping the ball and, with his goal, it gave us the confidence to keep pushing.

"We knew no matter what happened here, it wasn't going to be the end. We have the second game at home and we will need the people to support us."