Pep Guardiola hailed Kevin De Bruyne's impressive form after the midfielder was directly involved in all three goals against Copenhagen in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
De Bruyne opened the scoring for Man City in the 10th minute, with a clever finish from a tight angle. Then, his challenge with a Copenhagen defender created an opportunity for Bernardo Silva to make it 2-1. In second-half stoppage time, De Bruyne's unobtrusive pass set up Phil Foden to seal a 3-1 win for the defending champions.
De Bruyne celebrates after opening the scoring for Man City against Copenhagen. Photo: PA
De Bruyne missed five months with a hamstring injury in the opening game of the 2023-24 Premier League season. But since returning last month, the Belgian midfielder has scored twice and assisted seven times in seven games. De Bruyne also became the fourth player to score at least 10 goals in the Champions League knockout stages since the 2019-20 season, after Karim Benzema (17 goals), Erling Haaland (13) and Robert Lewandowski (11).
"He's been incredible. Big players love to play in big tournaments. The Champions League round of 16 is a test of the quality of big players and we started well," Guardiola commented on De Bruyne's form since returning from injury.
De Bruyne has not started every game since returning. The 32-year-old only played the full 90 minutes against Copenhagen and the 3-1 win over Brentford in the Premier League on February 5. Guardiola has been cautious about his player's fitness. But whether he starts or not, De Bruyne always knows how to make his mark.
In 2024, De Bruyne was one of four Premier League players to have a hand in more goals (two goals, six assists). The others were Foden (six goals, two assists), Diogo Jota (five goals, three assists) and Darwin Nunez (four goals, four assists). His form helped Man City win 11 consecutive matches in all competitions, thereby keeping alive the hope of repeating last season's treble.
"Copenhagen played well in the group stage so we have to respect them. Man City started well but made a mistake and were punished by their opponents. Overall, the team played well. We created many chances in the second half and should have scored more goals. Luckily, in the end, Man City still scored three goals to take the advantage before the second leg," De Bruyen commented on the team's performance.
Man City host Chelsea in round 25 of the Premier League on February 17. They will play Copenhagen again in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 on March 6.
Vinh San (according to AFP )
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