Manchester City squandered a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Dutch side Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday in another calamitous performance from Pep Guardiola’s stuttering side.
Erling Haaland bagged a brace for the hosts, who looked poised for a comfortable victory to erase their woeful five-game losing streak across all competitions. But huge defensive blunders in the dying minutes saw them lose their advantage and fall to 15th in the Champions League table on eight points.
City have conceded two or more goals in six successive matches in all competitions for the first time since 1963 – a season that saw them relegated from the English top flight.
They also became the first team in Champions League history to be leading a match by three goals as late as the 75th minute but fail to win.
“Difficult,” said City’s defender Nathan Aké. “We played quite well, all under control, then things changed. We have to stay strong mentally, believe in ourselves, and stay together … and make sure we get out of it.
“The only thing we can do is fight back and stay strong … When you’re three-nil up, it feels like a defeat when you give up three goals at home.”
City parked in the visitors’ end for much of the night, and following several near misses in the first half, Haaland got the home side on the scoresheet in the 45th minute with a blistering penalty kick past Timon Wellenreuther after he was fouled in the box.
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Ilkay Gündogan doubled the lead in the 50th minute with a low long-range shot that took a deflection in, before Haaland completed his brace three minutes later when he stabbed home Matheus Nunes‘ cross for his 46th goal in Europe’s elite competition.
At that stage, it was all smiles among the relieved Etihad crowd.
Yet astonishingly, Feyenoord replied with three goals inside 15 minutes, first from Anis Hadj Moussa, who pounced on a careless ball back from Josko Gvardiol in the 75th minute.
Then Santiago Giménez struck seven minutes later when he chested in Jordan Lotomba‘s cross, created from another wayward Gvardiol pass that had a furious Guardiola sitting with his head in his hands for several minutes.
Dávid Hancko got the equaliser in the 89th minute when City keeper Éderson was beaten by Igor Paixão who sent a cross to Hancko to head in.
What could have been a massive confidence boost for Guardiola’s struggling team now raises more questions ahead of their toughest test of the season yet, a clash with Premier League-leading Liverpool on Sunday at Anfield.
Defeat would leave City 11 points adrift of the Reds.
Feyenoord, who are fourth in the Dutch Eredivisie, are 20th in the Champions League standings with seven points.
