5 talking points as Man City stage epic comeback to win Champions League group
A stunning second-half performance from Manchester City saw them come from behind to beat RB Leipzig 3-2 and win their Champions League group.
Marco Rose's Leizpig started the brighter of the two sides and took the lead in the 13th minute. Lois Openda ran through on goal before coolly slotting the ball home to send shockwaves around the Etihad.
City responded well to going behind and missed a catalogue of chances, with Ruben Dias and Rico Lewis having the best of them. However, Leipzig punished the home side as they doubled their lead on 33 minutes, as Openda burst in behind and calmly tucked beyond Stefan Ortega.
After the half-time break, City clicked into gear and pulled one back through Erling Haaland, who slotted home for his 19th goal of the season. Guardiola's men pilled on the pressure and levelled, with Phil Foden scoring to set up a fascinating final 20 minutes.
City's comeback was then complete in the 87th minute as substitute Julian Alvarez finished to spark delirium as City secured top spot in Group G, having won all five matches so far. Here are five talking points from the game.
Pep Guardiola went back on his word after blocking last-ditch Barcelona transfer
Uncharacteristic Akanji mistake
Manuel Akanji has been virtually flawless since his move to Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund in 2022. He made 48 appearances in all competitions last season as Guardiola's side won the treble, and has so far played 16 times this term heading into the game against Leipzig.
However, the Switzerland international made a costly error leading to Leipzig's opening goal. Janus Blaswich's long, hopeful pass was not dealt with Akanji as the ball bounced through to Openda, who kept his composure before slotting the ball beyond Stefan Ortega. The City centre-back should have either headed the ball or intercepted it before Openda was gifted an opportunity to score.
Lois Openda celebrates after scoring RB Leipzig's opening goal against Manchester City (Getty Images)Rash Dias
Similarly to their first goal, Leipzig's second came following a mistake from City. This time it was Ruben Dias, who was named in the Champions League Team of the Season last campaign, as he showed his vulnerabilities during the clash against the German side.
In the 33rd minute, Dias tried to dive in and intercept Xavi Simons' ball down the left-hand side, but instead, he allowed Openda to spin away from him and drive into the City half. Openda made his way towards the area and kept his composure, skipping past Gvardiol and slotting the ball into the corner.
Having already been handed a yellow card for a foul earlier in the half, Dias came close to seeing red when he fouled Simons late. However, referee Glenn Nyberg didn't caution the Portugal international and Guardiola instead brought him off at half-time, with Nathan Ake coming on in his place.
Ruben Dias made a costly error leading to Lois Openda's second goal (Getty Images)Haaland scores again
After missing two excellent chances to bring City back into the game during the first period, Haaland finally got his goal to halve the deficit. Nine minutes after the break, Phil Foden's perfectly executed pass found the Norway international, who ran through with just Blaswich to beat. The forward did the rest, opening up his body and tucking the ball with his left foot and into the corner.
It was a composed finish from the 23-year-old, who now has six goals in four matches and 19 to his tally in all competitions so far this season. Haaland is also level with Alvaro Morata and Rasmus Hojlund as the Champions League top scorers in 2023/24, having struck five times in five group matches.
Erling Haaland scored his 19th goal of the season against RB Leipzig (Getty Images)Impressive City fightback
After a disappointing first-half performance, Guardiola would have wanted his City side to come out fighting in the second 45 as they looked to keep their five-and-a-half year unbeaten Champions League home record intact. And it's safe to say they produced.
City pulled one back through yet another Haaland strike, before turning on the gas as Foden scored his sixth goal of the campaign to put Guardiola's men on level terms. Substitute Alvarez, who came on for Kyle Walker, earned City all three points late on as he slotted beyond Blaswich. The result sees City move on to 15 points from a possible 15 in their group, securing top spot in the process.
Manchester City's Julian Alvarez celebrates after scoring the winner against RB Leipzig (Getty Images)Wasted Grealish opportunity
After missing Saturday's 1-1 draw against Liverpool due to illness, Grealish was thrown back into the City XI to face Leipzig, with Jeremy Doku named on the bench. Grealish has struggled for form so far this season, while Doku has been impressive of late having started the last three Premier League matches.
Full list of Premier League's biggest transfers as Enzo Fernandez smashes record
However, Grealish did not take his opportunity to impress Guardiola. The former Aston Villa midfielder failed to have the required impact and was substituted in the 53rd minute for Doku. City drastically improved following the introduction of Doku and Julian Alvarez as they turned the game on its head.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
