As he has been able to demonstrate in recent weeks, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City also knows how to win without fanfare. And it was again the case this Tuesday, on the pitch in Copenhagen, in the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League (1-3). But the goal on Phil Foden’s gong (90th 3) gives a whole new dimension to the success of the Citizens, not necessarily flamboyant but completely in control in the inhospitable atmosphere of Parken in Copenhagen, who found the eighth of C1 for the first time since 2011.
Scorer again, on the evening of his fiftieth appearance in the most prestigious of European competitions, Foden thus consolidated the victory of the reigning European champions, more than ever in a favorable waiver before the return match at the beginning of March. And that is the essential thing for the “Skyblues” in their half-admitted quest for a new treble (championship, FA Cup, European Cup).
On their momentum of ten victories in a row, Guardiola’s men were keen to bury any suspense from the start, opening the score after only ten minutes of play. For his first of the season in C1, Kevin De Bruyne, returned to the competition at the beginning of January, opened the scoring on his third attempt of the match, which says a lot about the visitors’ initial attacks. But the latter then lacked success, finding the bar (20th) or the air, on an acrobatic volley from Erling Haaland which would have gone around the world (29th).
And Copenhagen took advantage, following a restart error from Ederson, through Magnus Mattsson, local hero who arrived at the beginning of February (34th). But City had no intention of panicking, so Bernardo Silva gave his team the lead again before the break (45th 1), following a ball scratched by De Bruyne in the area. In the oven and at the mill for his return to C1, “KDB” will also be a decisive passer for Foden at the end of the match. Enough to reap the praise, when his usual “partner in crime”, Haaland, will have seen success flee from him until the end, from the crossbar (77th) to a double duel lost against the opposing goalkeeper (90th 1). As it turns out, everything is not always perfect for City. But the result is often the same.
