Real Madrid's Marcelo rejects defensive talk

Real Madrid defender Marcelo has played down suggestions that his team adopted a defensive tactic in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final first leg against Manchester City, which finished goalless.

Los Blancos struggled to create chances in the first half of their clash with the Premier League side, but had openings in the second period through Jese Rodriguez and Pepe.

Marcelo has claimed that he 'did not see it like that' when asked if the Spanish outfit were more interested in defending than attacking at the Etihad.

"I didn't see it like that. It's hard to play against a strong team who want possession and we did what we could," Marcelo told AS. "In the second half we attacked more, we had more chances to win. We didn't set out for the draw."

The second leg at the Bernabeu will take place next Wednesday.