Xabi Alonso said he understood whistles from the Bernabéu crowd after Real Madrid 's 2-1 Champions League defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday, while insisting there was "nothing to criticize" in his team's performance.

With Kylian Mbappé injured, Rodrygo put Madrid ahead in the first half -- ending a 32-game goal drought -- before Nico O'Reilly leveled for City, and an Erling Haaland penalty put the visitors ahead.

Madrid and Alonso went into the game under pressure after a 2-0 home defeat to Celta Vigo on Sunday made it one win in five games in LaLiga, with ESPN reporting that club executives had met to discuss the coach's future.

"When you don't win at home [whistles] can happen," Alonso said in his postmatch news conference. "We felt the energy from the crowd, when t

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