Man City 3-1 (agg 6-2) Copenhagen (Akanji 5′, Alvarez 9′, Haaland 45’+3 | Elyounoussi 29′)
ETIHAD STADIUM — The Champions League may be changing, but Manchester City in the Champions League don’t. They reached their seventh consecutive quarter-final with minimum fuss, at half pace and with many of their Premier League stars rested. The amusement of those at the Etihad? Manchester United got knocked out by that lot.
The records tumble and fall as City march on in Europe and look untouchable in this stadium. Their last home defeat of any kind was in November 2022. They have now won 28 of their last 30 home matches in Europe’s premier club competition, their last loss coming in September 2018 against Lyon.
Pep Guardiola chose to pick the stiffs, while leaving Erling Haaland out there to presumably try and find some goalscoring touch after Sunday’s miss of all misses in the derby.
This was roughly the same return: unusual rustiness, a slight lack of fortune with the odd chance and then an unerring finish just as you were beginning to doubt.
Guardiola doesn’t really like evenings like these, albeit City have more of them than most. An obsession with the constant self-improvement of players requires competition for it to be tested. City’s last five last-16 ties had been won by an aggregate scoreline of 31-5. The chance of them giving up a two-goal lead against a non-elite opponent is non-possibility.
It does tend to create tepid conditions. As his players misplaced passes and squandered opportunities to break in the first half, Guardiola turned his back, stamped in frustration or held the back of his hand to his forehead like an offended Victorian maiden.
Matheus Nunes was the player most often causing his manager anguish, passing up possession with such regularity that Guardiola once held up his arms like a teacher who has admitted a loss of control in the classroom. Nunes has endured a rotten first half season at City, six league starts and little evidence as to why he was the £50m alternative to Lucas Paqueta last summer. If this was the opportunity to take his chances, it ended with a grossly dislocated finger that pointed perpendicular to the other nine.
It didn’t matter, because how could it. Such are the economic and talent gaps between these two squads, City could have used 15 players who each produced their worst performance of the season and still sauntered through. They brought on John Stones as a centre-back substitute; FC Copenhagen started with Scott McKenna, unwanted by Nottingham Forest.
Copenhagen had moments. Mohamed Elyounoussi, once of Southampton, scored a wonderful goal after exchanging passes with Orri Oskarsson. Ederson made one point blank save from substitute Magnus Mattsson. Supposed wonderkid Roony Bardghji improved the counter-attacking threat, although there was no overhead kick against City from this Roony.
What a flick
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 6, 2024
Copenhagen have pulled a goal back against Man City with a 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 goal.#UCL pic.twitter.com/l3ICzlXcmj
Even they felt like a team being patronised, a cat allowing a mouse to have a final sprint for freedom before the paw stamps down its food chain dominance. City scored twice in the first nine minutes, through a Manuel Akanji volley and a Kamil Grabara flail from a Julian Alvarez cross-shot. That was that and 50,000 people knew it. Some arrived late at their seats. They may as well have turned around and gone straight back home.
The tie at least ended with some promise of the next era, one perhaps after Guardiola has left or those charges have finally produced a verdict. They arrive on the pitch with slightly unfamiliar names and an instantly recognisable style of play honed in the City nursery.
Apologies for the defeatism, but ultimately this is the problem with financial inequality. Their supporters had a magnificent time in the away end last night, but overachieving rises tend to end in harder, heavier falls. This wasn’t a competitive fixture, it was a procession. FC Copenhagen eliminated Manchester United. This isn’t Manchester United, lads.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/exCj9u3
Post a Comment