Manchester City skipper Vincent Kompany defended Joe Hart after the manner of Cristiano Ronaldo's winner for Real Madrid.

He insisted neither he nor keeper Joe Hart - who was rapped by boss Roberto Mancini after the match for admitting the players were to blame for the defeat - were responsible for the winning goal.

Kompany said: "It just floated. Joe initially thought I might have been able to get it but there was no chance.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the only players who can do that - he's got that skill.

"There's nothing much you can do once he has the chance to take that shot. All you can do is try and close down the space. We hoped that moment would not have come.

"But he was too quick. The way it floated, by the time you got in position it's already gone. It wasn't Joe's fault. It floated past everyone, the way it went down. It's one of those things.

"There's not many players in the world who can do that but, unfortunately for us, he is one of them."