Man City win despite being two goals down in Champions League

Anh Thang overcame Leipzig 3-2 in the penultimate round, Man City secured first place in Group G of the Champions League one round early.

Man City are the second team to secure top spot in this season's Champions League, after Bayern Munich in Group A, also with a perfect record. Despite being 2-0 down in the first half thanks to a brace from striker Lois Openda, three attacking players including Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez scored to keep the home team's winning streak going. Leipzig also got a consolation with a place in the next round, despite only finishing second in the group.

Erling Haaland (left) and Julian Alvarez celebrate their goal as Man City beat Leipzig 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, in the fifth round of Group G of the Champions League on the evening of November 28, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Before this match, the last time Man City were two goals behind at the Etihad was against Tottenham in the Premier League in January 2023. After winning 4-2 in that match, coach Pep Guardiola called the team members "happy flowers". The comeback was the foundation for the team to create a winning streak of more than 10 matches and win the treble at the end of the season.

This time the situation was no less difficult for Man City in the first half, when they conceded in the 13th minute. From a goal kick by away goalkeeper Janis Blaswich, centre-back Manuel Akanji misjudged the landing spot and could not clear the ball. Striker Openda seized the opportunity to rush down to face goalkeeper Ortega, then shot with his left foot into the far corner to open the scoring for Leipzig. When he saw Akanji miss the ball, Guardiola turned away in disappointment.

Lois Openda (No. 17) opened the scoring for Leipzig against Man City. Photo: PA

Guardiola was visibly unhappy with his players' lackluster performance. At one point, the match was stopped for a moment so that medical staff could take care of Jack Grealish, and the Spanish coach called all 10 remaining players to the sidelines to give instructions.

Guardiola's adjustments had not yet had time to take effect, Man City conceded the second goal, also from an individual mistake. Xavi Simons passed down the left flank to Openda, when center-back Ruben Dias rushed in from behind. However, Dias missed the ball, allowing Openda to get past him and then dive down to face him a second time. The Belgian striker did not miss the opportunity to shoot low into the near corner to score.

Coach Pep Guardiola reminded 10 Man City players in the first half. Photo: Reuters

Guardiola is famous for rarely making substitutions, or making late substitutions in matches. But this time, he took Dias off early in the second half, then introduced Jeremy Doku and Alvarez in the 54th minute. After just 20 seconds on the pitch, Alvarez made his mark on the goal. He passed down the middle to Foden, who then threaded the ball through for Haaland to run past the goalkeeper before curling it into the far corner.

The pressure Man City created from then on reached its peak, when they had possession for 80% of the time. In the 70th minute, center-back Josko Gvardiol passed from the left into the penalty area to Foden, who fired a low left-footed shot into the far corner to equalize 2-2. That score also secured the top spot for the home team, but Man City did not want to stop there.

Foden (right) equalized 2-2 for Man City. Photo: Reuters

In the 87th minute, Foden made his mark again with a pass from the left side of the penalty area into the goal for Alvarez. The Argentine striker held the ball for two beats before the Leipzig defender could get to it, allowing him to easily shoot diagonally to seal a 3-2 victory for Man City.

The Group G situation was also decided after this match, when Man City came first and Leipzig took the second place in the group. Swiss club Young Boys came third and were relegated to the Europa League, while Serbian representative Red Star Belgrade came last and were eliminated.

Hoang An

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