Republic of Ireland fans couldn't resist a laugh at Jack Grealish's expense following Manchester City's dramatic Champions League exit last night.
Pep Guardiola's men lost 3-1 after extra-time as Madrid produced the most astonishing of a growing list of incredible comebacks.
City were moments away from booking a second successive final appearance, and setting up an all-English showpiece against rivals Liverpool in Paris, when Real caught them with a stunning sucker punch.
Leading 1-0 on the night and 5-3 on aggregate after Riyad Mahrez’s 73rd-minute strike in a tense semi-final second leg at the Bernabeu, City were rocked when Brazilian Rodrygo struck a quickfire double with 90 minutes on the clock.
That came just 12 minutes after Grealish was introduced as a substitute and sent an epic tie into extra time.
City never recovered from the shock, conceding again soon after when Ruben Dias felled Karim Benzema and the prolific Frenchman stepped up to convert the resulting penalty.
It meant yet another near miss for City and Guardiola after last year’s runners-up finish, while further enhancing 13-times champion Real’s mystique after their fightbacks against Paris St Germain and Chelsea in the previous rounds.
But Irish fans were quick to take to social media to slag Grealish after the game after he missed two great chances for City.
One tweeted: "All I'm saying is, it started going wrong for Jack Grealish when he dumped Ireland and declared for England. Had he stayed in the bosom of the lovely Irish team? Who's to say. We're not bitter, it's just fun to point out."
Another said: "If Jack Grealish was still Irish city would be in the final."
"Jack Grealish must hate the city of Madrid by now. should’ve stayed Irish," read another message.
Someone else commented: "As an Irish man, Jack Grealish being pretty bad for City is quite funny."
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