Manchester City took a massive step toward the final four of the Champions League after a stirring 3-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the first leg of their quarterfinal at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
On a windy and rainy night in Manchester, the champions of England and Germany produced an engrossing spectacle but it was City that showed the greater quality in the final third to reach the semifinals for a third-straight season as they seek a long-awaited first title.
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Rodri broke the deadlock with a fine curling strike for his first Champions League goal on 27 minutes before Bernardo Silva added a second with a header to dampen Bayern’s resistance in the 70th minute. As the visitors wilted, City then snatched a potentially decisive third goal six minutes later through the competition’s top scorer Erling Haaland.
The match was the first time that Pep Guardiola had faced Bayern Munich since he left the Bavarians to manage City in 2016. It was also a repeat of his contest with new Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel in the 2021 Champions League final when Tuchel’s Chelsea side came out on top.
This time, Guardiola came out the decisive victor as City recorded a ninth-straight win in all competitions, by an aggregate score of 34-3
For Bayern, the decision to replace Julian Nagelsmann with Tuchel as coach ahead of the quarterfinals looks not to have paid dividends, at least in the Champions League. Barring a seismic comeback in the second leg in Munich next Wednesday, Bayern will be exiting at the competition’s quarterfinal stage for a third successive campaign.
Both teams struggled early on with the blustery conditions and Haaland almost capitalised on some momentary uncertainty in possession as he chased down a back pass to Yann Sommer right in front of the goal-line, only for the Bayern goalkeeper to just about scramble the ball away.
The City dangerman perhaps should have opened the scoring on 22 minutes. A fine City move culminated with Jack Grealish laying it off to Haaland with only the keeper to beat on the edge of the box but his shot was unusually tame and easy for Sommer.
At the other end, Bayern’s lack of a natural centre-forward was evident as they struggled to pose a consistent threat to the hosts’ backline. Their best opening of the first half came on 26 minutes when former City winger Leroy Sane cut back for Jamal Musiala but Ruben Dias produced a fine block to keep the ball at bay.
Just a minute later, City were in front. After a long passing move, Rodri cut the ball onto his left foot and, invited to shoot, the midfielder took a swing at it on his weaker foot and found the top corner of Sommer’s net with a goal as impressive as it was unlikely.
The lead could have been doubled before the break but Sommer, prone on the ground after getting a glove to a deflected cross, stuck out a leg and somehow deflected Ilkay Gundogan‘s goal-bound shot to safety.
Bayern came out for the second half piling pressure on City as they sought an equaliser to take back to Munich. And Ederson, a spectator in this first half, was suddenly called into action to repel two early efforts from Sane, the second one a fine low stop.
City, though, responded to create a thrilling spectacle and force Sommer to deny shots from Nathan Ake and Dias in quick succession.
Yet it would be Bayern, and particularly defender Dayot Upamecano, who had a big hand in their own downfall as City ran away with the game, and likely the tie, in the final 20 minutes.
First Upamecano allowed himself to be dispossessed by Grealish, who played in Haaland and the Norwegian chipped perfectly to the back post for the on-rushing Silva to head past Sommer.
But it wouldn’t be a vintage City showing without Haaland getting a goal of his own. In the 76th minute his moment arrived. After a corner was half-cleared, Silva crossed deep, Stones headed back across the six-yard box and Haaland was, as ever, in the right spot to side-foot home.
With another goal came another record, with this one being the former Borussia Dortmund striker’s 45th goal in all competitions this season, the most ever by a Premier League player.
More importantly, though, it gives Man City a huge cushion to take to Bavaria.
