Manchester City 3-1 Red Star Belgrade (Alvarez 47′, 60′, Rodri 73′ | Bukari 45′)
ETIHAD — The name of Glazer dominated Manchester football once again last night although, for once, it was not the unpopular United owners who were the talk of the town.
Omri Glazer, Red Star Belgrade’s Israeli international goalkeeper, turned in an inspired first half display to keep City at bay while Osman Bukari fired the Serbs into a shock lead.
But, after Julian Alvarez equalised for the defending Champions League winners, the keeper made a horrendous effort to punch clear a free-kick from the same player on the hour.
Glazer succeeded only in helping the ball into his own net with a weak, flailing fist and Pep Guardiola’s concerns were lifted.
The City manager had been stunned in the final minute of the first half when Bukari chased onto a through ball from Mirko Ivanic and calmly converted past the advancing Ederson.
The goal was quickly disallowed for offside but, after a lengthy VAR check, was allowed to stand, correctly, at least based on the video evidence available.
Five years to the day since City last lost a home European game – to Lyon – they were in danger of seeing a 26-game unbeaten run, 24 of them wins, come to a juddering halt.
It was, arguably, just the wake-up call City required and 72 seconds after the restart, they were level, through Alvarez.
The Argentine exchanged passes with Erling Haaland, darting into the area and rounding the Red Star keeper and rolling the ball in from a tight angle.
Rodri made it 3-1 after 72 minutes, scoring with a super strike from 17 yards after Phil Foden had played an intelligent pass to him.
And, finally, normal service was resumed for the treble winners, even if a lot of what had gone before was far from it.
After City had put together 55 attacks in the first period, and out-shot the visitors 22-1, it was incredible that Guardiola’s team was required to seek that equaliser although the champions – and Haaland, in particular – only had themselves to blame.
Haaland, scorer of 12 goals in 11 games during City’s rampage to the Champions League title, came closest with a thumping header against the crossbar from six yards following a delightful ball from Foden.
That was one of many chances City created, with Glazer doing particularly well to keep out a Nathan Ake header, from an Alvarez corner on 29 minutes.
And after just 14 minutes, he had done even better, flying to the top right-hand corner of his goal to deny Rodri’s powerful shot after the City midfielder did well to carve out space before shooting from the edge of the area.
Haaland’s “troubles” – an odd word to describe a striker who has scored seven goals in five league games this season – continued before the break when Sergio Gomez’s pullback found him eight yards out and he could only lean back and clear the bar by some distance.
Following the equaliser, City kept their stranglehold on the game, with Kyle Walker having a goal ruled out for offside soon after.
Just before the second goal, Glazer spilled a shot from Alvarez and, with the goal gaping, the unmarked Haaland could only scoop his shot against the keeper’s head.
Glazer may still have been feeling the ill effects when he conceded the second although he later made amends with another fine save from Haaland at the foot of his post.
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