By Lori Ewing
Belgrade: Manchester City academy graduate Micah Hamilton scored on his senior debut as they stretched their unbeaten run in Europe to 20 games with a 3-2 Champions League victory over Red Star Belgrade in their group stage finale on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT).
Oscar Bobb also netted his first goal for the senior side and Kalvin Phillips scored from a penalty for City, who finished with a perfect 18 points from six group games for the first time. Liverpool, in 2021-22, were the only other English team to win all six group games and City will be the last to achieve the record, with the competition changing format next season.
Hwang In-beom and Aleksandar Katai netted late second-half goals at the Rajko Mitic Stadium for Belgrade, who finished bottom with just a point.
The 20-year-old Hamilton, who joined City at the age of seven and was a ball boy for the club as recently as six years ago, netted in the 19th minute when he cut around a Belgrade defender then fired from a tight angle into the far corner.
Bobb, who is also 20, doubled the lead in the 62nd minute when he dribbled at the Red Star defence before tucking a shot into the bottom corner.
In a game that meant little to City and nothing to the Group G standings, manager Pep Guardiola made nine changes to the side that played in their 2-1 Premier League win at Luton Town on Sunday. City’s league-leading scorer Erling Haaland did not play at Luton due to a foot injury and did not travel to Belgrade.
Kalvin Phillips celebrates City’s third goal.Credit: AP
In Wednesday’s other early kick-off, Emil Forsberg scored and Leipzig held on to end the group stage with a 2-1 win over Swiss team Young Boys.
Leipzig was already assured of their place in the knockout round after finishing second behind City, and third-placed Young Boys had already secured a place in the Europa League knockout round play-offs.
There was consequently little at stake for either team, though the visitors pushed hard for an equaliser after Forsberg’s 56th minute strike.
Ulisses Garcia had a goal ruled out for offside in the 72nd and Joel Monteiro drew his shot wide of the far post when he only had Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi to beat in stoppage time.
Champions League matchday 6 results
Wednesday (italics denotes qualified for knockout stage)
- Lens 2 Sevilla 1
- PSV Eindhoven 1 Arsenal 1
- Union Berlin 2 Real Madrid 3
- RB Salzburg 1 Benfica 3
- Napoli 2 Braga 0
- Inter Milan 0 Real Sociedad 0
- Copenhagen 1 Galatasary 0
- Manchester United 0 Bayern Munich 1
Thursday:
- RB Leipzig 2 Young Boys 1
- Red Star Belgrade 2 Manchester City 3
Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko thought he had scored early on when he left a defender standing and fired inside the far corner, but that goal was ruled offside after a VAR check.
Gulacsi produced a fine reflex save to deflect Cheikh Niasse’s header over the bar in the 21st.
Sesko finally did score early in the second half on a counterattack, only for Gambia forward Ebrima Colley to reply straight away with the equaliser in the 53rd.
Kevin Kampl set up Forsberg in response and this time the home team managed to defend their lead.
Reuters/AP
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